Sophisticated Chanel lady meets
Cape Flats Dialect: "Hee man, this stuff is
SO lekka!"
At first, you might
think this is an African commercial for Coco Chanel,
or for any another perfume. Nothing is what it seems. Simply finish the
full thirty seconds and another side of South Africa has been unwrapped
before your very yes. With a smile, that is!
Roots in Cape
Town
South Africa and
especially Cape Town
are known for their creative industries as for instance the film
industry. Many know South Africa is a popular location to shoot films
and movies, but not too many people are aware of the fact that many successful international campaigns
have roots in Cape Town.
For instance, take the acclaimed campaign for WorldOnline (now Tiscali) "One Day", which featured
the late paraplegic Christopher "Superman" Reeves. This commercial was
designed, developed and put into practice in South Africa.
Nando's and Advertising
Always crispy up-close to developments,
restaurant chain Nando's -from the start- pursued a highly effective marketing strategy which
accounts for their phenomenal growth from 1987 onwards.
Nando's, a chain of Portuguese chicken-grill restaurants, has made a
great impact on South African advertising by embracing topical
issues, while combining and enriching them with humour and sarcasm.
One of their best commercials was released
shortly after the release of Nelson Mandela. It featured an
impersonation of
Madiba, who was talking about the ‘left (chicken) wing' and the ‘right
wing'.
Not some ordinary chicken
Nando's aim was and is to change people's attitude
towards chicken. "We knew our chicken was unique, that our
restaurants in South Africa
were different and the Nando's experience was magical, so it followed that our advertising should have a
fun and irreverent personality that showed the funnier side of life."
Ask South Africans about Nando's
advertising and they will have something to say about it.
Local is Lekka!
Nando's, apart from to their good and low
priced food, ads spice to advertising in South Africa. This makes the restaurant chain extremely popular in South
Africa. Let's say that Nando's was the first
company that forced McDonalds to close some restaurants.
Again: Nando's, apart from to their food, added true spice to advertising in
South Africa....
