• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, September 9, 2013

In an effort to reach the world’s less-evolved do-it-yourselfers, Gorilla Glue is launching its first national marketing campaign. 

The 15- and 30-second TV spots star a silverback beast generated by animatronics, who helps hapless homeowners fix white picket fences and broken windows. 

A spokesperson for the Gorilla Glue Co., which began selling the glue back in 1999, says the big guy on the small screen was created by Jim Boulden, creative director of Animal Makers, Inc., the same man who created David Letterman’s bear suit. (He also worked on the Aflac duck.) Possible is the ad agency. 

She says the Gorilla Glue Gorilla will star in a series of TV spots, in which the DIYer struggles to complete a project. The gorilla ambles onto the scene and provides the right “Gorilla Tough” product. “Gorilla Glue, of course,” says the homeowner. The gorilla grunts his approval. 

The company chose this approach because most of its competitors have “industrial sounding” names, and consumer research showed that less experienced DIYers found those somewhat intimidating. The gorilla, on the other hand, “is very approachable,” says Matt Kemme, VP/marketing and innovation, in the company’s release. The strategy, he adds, is to “build a big idea of who Gorilla is and what he can do, educating and giving consumers confidence across the DIY spectrum.”

The company, based in Cincinnati, says the commercials are scheduled to run on such networks as HGTV, AMC, Animal Planet, DIY and Fox News. It’s also planning extensive social media promotions, as well as “some surprising Gorilla-style guerilla tactics.”

The company’s products have won accolades for the ability to bond with many materials, including wood, ceramic, stone, metal and more, and in addition to the basic glue, now includes tape, epoxy and a glue formation that is impact-proof.