Is this how we sell things now?

Over the years, Nando’s has not only given us delicious PERi-PERi flame-grilled chicken, but food for thought via their adverts, campaigns and social commentary, with the latest one questioning the surplus of “Afro-futurism” on our screens at the moment.

Their most recent ad promoting their Half Chicken with any single side was released on Monday, 3 September 2018.

“Nando’s has always celebrated everything uniquely South African, both loveable and challenging! We love to fire-up conversations and believe that talking about the current hyperbolic portrayal of African-ness is one such growing conversation. The diversity and beauty of Africa should be rightly celebrated however the portrayals in recent advertising are often bizarrely over the top and seemingly the same between brands and categories” explains Doug Place, Chief Marketing Officer for Nando’s South Africa.

Face paint, neon lights, burning TV’s, overused and superfluous hashtags, bizarre metaphors, smoke bombs, the “announcer” voice, the derelict (cool?) inner-city backdrop, a Mad-Max inspired throne, a hyena (!)… “There’s so much more to being South African than one narrow vignette and we thought it would be fun to point out some of the absurdities of it all” adds Place.

“We love the aesthetic of African creativity, just take a look at any of our restaurants around the world to see how proud we are to showcase Southern African creative work. African-ness is layered, it doesn’t always have to look so derelict, so serious, so over the top, and all the same.” concludes Place.