Nando’s viral ad heats up on YouTube like hot peri peri

The country’s love affair with Nando’s marketing strategy is back in full bloom with the news that its Cell C spoof “viral video” went truly viral.

The ad was uploaded onto YouTube on Friday the 26th of November, and at the time of writing, it had been viewed 84 000 times on Nando’s YouTube channel, and 4 000 times on Memeburn’s channel. And it shows no sign of slowing down.

The ad features comedian Kagiso Lediga playing the part of Nando’s new Chicken Excellence Officer (CEO) as he takes the viewer on a tour of Nando’s HQ, through its laboratory and into a restaurant, all the while taking subtle swipes at the Cell C campaign.

Cell C’s mega-marketing campaign has gained a huge amount of attention in South Africa over the last few months, not all of it for the right reasons. The campaign began with standup comic Trevor Noah criticising Cell C during his act, only to reveal that it was all a setup by Cell C.

This was followed by complaints about the company’s new logo, and its contentious claims to be running a “4G” network. The claims were challenged by the other mobile operators and the Advertising Standards Authority ruled that Cell C had to withdraw the campaign.

On Tuesday, Memeburn ran a story acknowledging that the Nando’s ad was great fun and incredibly creative, but questioned whether it was going to be effective or not. Judging by the number of views on YouTube, it looks like that question has been answered.