Gorilla Marketing

Today, I’m going to talk about one of my earliest childhood lessons in the advertising field: gorilla marketing.  Literally, gorilla marketing… you thought I misspelled guerrilla marketing didn’t you?

Ivan the Gorilla lived for 27 years in the now shut down B & I Shopping Mall in Tacoma, WA.  I remember visiting the mall and watching Ivan the Gorilla in his enclosure.  The B & I Shopping Mall had brought Ivan in and kept him for 27 years in a concrete enclosure inside their retail area where people could watch him as they purchased goods.

Displaying Ivan the Gorilla was a smart marketing stunt- as a kid I loved to go visit him and watch the huge silverback amble around and look at the visitors.  Unfortunately, it was not such a great thing for Ivan and after being sued, Ivan the Gorilla was sent to a much better atmosphere at a zoo in Atlanta.

Below is a picture of Ivan the Gorilla in his original enclosure at the B&I Shopping Mall in Tacoma:

Ivan the Gorilla from Tacoma, WA

Ivan the Gorilla from Tacoma, WA

A more recent picture of Ivan the Gorilla in his new home at Zoo Atlanta:

Ivan the Gorilla in ZOO Atlanta

Ivan the Gorilla in ZOO Atlanta

I’m glad that Ivan the Gorilla has a happy retirement home in Zoo Atlanta after serving for 27 years as an unwilling retail salesman!

DIGG! STUMBLE! FACEBOOK! DELICOUS! TWITTER!- Share post below!
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Facebook
  • del.icio.us
  • TwitThis

The Joy of Marketing BS
Mount Rainier Climb Pictures
New Years Eve
22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Book Review
Eye-Catching Art
Cyclops
Genius Marketing: Give Away AK-47 with Car Purchase
Holiday Party Gets White Christmas
Family Thanksgiving with Bestemor
Whistler Ski Trip
One More Ski Pic
Ivan the Terrible: Not A Nice Guy
POSTED BY Joel on Nov 29 under Uncategorized

3 Responses to “Gorilla Marketing”

  1. 1
    grim reaper Says:

    sorry joel,

    i visited ivan a few months back. he is now in a much better place gorilla heaven. yes, he is dead. but the b&i will live on forever in the hearts of many!

    Grim

  2. 2
    mapalletram Says:

    Ivan is alive and well at Zoo Atlanta.

  3. 3
    Joel Says:

    Yes, Ivan is very much alive and kicking/banging on doors…

    http://www.zooatlanta.org/animals_gorilla.htm

Leave a Reply

Copyright Best Online Marketing Blog – Joel Gross | Powered by Joel