My Most Immortal Ad: Mariana Peluffo on Cadbury's 'Gorilla'

Cadbury's 'Gorilla' spot projects the sense of being completely in the moment and totally unaware of anything else.

The image of a gorilla sitting in a rehearsal studio, playing the drums to Phil Collins' hit "In the Air Tonight" blew my mind.

Usually, we think of babies or little puppies to bring emotions to our target audience, but who would think a big gorilla could do the same.

It was so real that it took me a few seconds to realize that the gorilla was a costume. I watched the spot five times or more, and each time I found another small detail, like the gold tooth when the gorilla growls at the camera or when the air sign turns on, suggesting that the private moment becomes public.

The peculiar thing about this ad is that for almost 60 seconds, nothing really happens, but you can feel that something big is coming up. When he finally starts playing the drums, everything makes sense, and you wish it would never end.

Fourteen years later, I watched the ad again, and it still amazes me. That's the power of immortality.