A commercial that begins, “London loves acid…,” is an unashamed grab for attention, but that is exactly what The Or’s commercial for delivery service, Gorillas, is. A very clever way to make Gorillas stand out in a densely populated ocean of commercials. The campaign is marking Gorillas’ first year in London with a compilation of the weird and wonderful ways that Londoners use Gorillas. People love lists; this is an edgy version of a tried-and-true formula that hasn’t been tried in its genre before.
It is The Or’s first campaign for Gorillas since it was awarded the account in 2021 without pitch. The commercial is built using facts and figures from the eight million products Gorillas has delivered in the capital since its London launch 12 months ago – a year’s worth of data.
The TV execution was inspired by digital native behaviour in which people stitch together pieces of content to make them interact with one another in humorous ways. The technique combined with a series of double-entendres neatly highlights the products Londoners typically order through Gorillas in a way designed to titillate. As well as loving acid, Londoners love ‘blowing’ (their noses with tissues and downing cold and flu products), ‘getting smashed’ (with the hipster favourite, avocados) and ‘double dipping’ (crisps into different salsas). The ad finishes with the line: Whatever London wants in minutes.
The commercial was directed by up-and-coming London talent, Ethan and Tom from Academy, London and – to show that Gorillas really understands London – the film is peppered with hidden Easter eggs that true Londoners will spot. It features a cast of familiar London natives such as illustrator, Mr.Bingo; singer, Hak Baker; and model, Mia Wells, and the music comes from homegrown Londoner, Little Simz, with Kennington-born rapper, Sam Wise, providing the voiceover.
A provocative post-watershed 30-second execution and a tamer pre-watershed version will run on TV and VOD. There will also be radio, digital and social coverage of the campaign plus OOH executions with projections, 48-sheet, six-sheet posters and murals. The OOH continues to enlighten Londoners about their own habits by revealing more interesting insights about how different boroughs behave in relation to one another.
One poster says Lewisham lets it grow, then explains, Ordering the least number of razors in all of London. Another says, Islington loves getting smashed, then explains, Ordering more avocados than all of London. 135,598 to be precise. A third states, Shoreditch is hitting the bottle, then explains, With their grocery orders including three times more follow-on formula than neighbouring Newham.
Photography is by lifestyle photographer, Jenna Foxton, and the photographic approach mimics the technique of the TV by piecing different scenes together to create a larger image.
The or launched the campaign with a competition in which customers are able to order whatever money can buy (up to a value of £400) for one week only by placing an order via the Gorillas app, using the promo code, WHATEVER, and heading to the delivery instructions to request whatever their heart desires. Eight lucky winners will be chosen.
Danny Barry, head of brand Northern Europe for Gorillas, stated, “We are not like other instant delivery services so our comms need to feel different too. That’s why we decided to work with The Or, who are all about doing things differently. We dug into our data to discover some fun facts and collaborated with The Or to bring our insights to life in a playful and provocative campaign.
“As the data shows, we’ve delivered everything Londoners could want whenever they’ve wanted it, from late night tea bags to 32 chocolate bars in a single order. This campaign celebrates the fact that we know our customer base, and we are confident it will inspire others to try out the Gorillas app to get the products they desire in minutes.”
Paulo Salomao, co-founder and business lead at The Or, added, “Gorillas is a really exciting client win for us – an ambitious start-up that wants to shake up the market and connect with younger generations in mould-breaking ways. What better way to get Londonders to sit up and be interested in on-demand groceries than letting them know what their neighbours are ordering? This is a big idea that can rise above the industry clutter and we look forward to seeing it run in London and then other cities around the world.”
The TVC went to air on April 9 during Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway. OOH, radio and digital launch on April 13.
Credits
Agency: The Or
Production Company: Academy Films
Directors: Ethan and Tom
DOP: Eoin McLoughlin
Edit House: Assembly Rooms
Post House: Okay Studios
Sound: Grand Central Recording Studios
Photographer: Jenna Foxton
