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

A more recent picture of Ivan the Gorilla in his new home at 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!

3 Responses to “Gorilla Marketing”

1. 1
   grim reaper Says:
   November 29th, 2008 at 11:15 am

   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:
   November 30th, 2008 at 8:28 am

   Ivan is alive and well at Zoo Atlanta.

3. 3
   Joel Says:
   November 30th, 2008 at 11:40 am

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

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