The earth moved for me this morning and it’s all thanks to a small knitted monkey dressed as the Queen of England.

And anyone currently considering online advertising, viral marketing, or how to maximise the cross-platform power of digital and print would be wise to take note.

Tea brand PG Tips has been exploiting the strangely mesmerising relationship between comedian Johnny Vegas and ‘Monkey’ for some time now. The partnership was originally conceived for a UK digital TV campaign in 2001. PG Tips repurposed the duo in 2007 as a tea loving odd couple with the Monkey holding all the intellectual high ground.

Now, in the run up to Chrismas, there is a new viral campaign showing Monkey doing an impressive impersonation of the British monarch delivering her Christmas Day state of the nation address, aided by occasional sips from a large glass of sherry.

Several takes and many sips later the ‘Queen’ has lost all sense of diction and deportment. (Any of you who can remember a very early radio gag called The Toastmaster by Michael Bentine will take particular pleasure in this.)

But what really sends me reaching for the headboard to steady my delicious sense of virtigo is how this campaign has teased out all that is good about digital communication.

Firstly, the ad from AKQA, makes no attempt to milk the PG Tips brand. We’re simply allowed to enjoy the sight of a knitted monkey in evening dress, tiara and lipstick getting progressively plastered. What’s not to like?

Secondly, The Guardian, who delivered the campaign as a news item, were able to use their Guardian.co.uk to show the clip. You can talk about knitted monkeys all you want but to truly understand the delights of a small puppet in drag getting of its face – well… you have to see the movie. Words, in this case, are simply not enough.

So thank you Monkey, for giving me a laugh this close to Christmas. I only have one question? Would you like to join the CDA Content Lab? We could use a talent like yours.

See Monkey get hammered