Nando’s takes bite at Cell C ‘CEO’ campaign [Viral video]

After the exhaustive stranglehold that comedian Trevor Noah and mobile operator Cell C have had on the South African media landscape, it appears that Nando’s is ready to reclaim the attention it feels it rightly deserves.

The South African peri-peri chicken giant’s commercial features comedian Kagiso Lediga parodying Trevor Noah and his Customer Experience Officer (CEO) advertising campaign, and includes the line “I’m watching you Nandos. Like a chicken”.

The other CEO of Cell C, Lars Reichelt, is taking the campaign in his stride. “Nando’s campaign gave us a real chuckle, we love the ads and it’s great to know that our initial campaign is inspiring creativity in other companies,” commented Reichelt. “I trust that the Nando’s executives will enjoy their new super-fast internet connection and that they will consider adding “Speedchicken” to their menu.”

Cell C’s mega-marketing campaign has gained a huge amount of attention in South Africa over the last few months, and not all of it for the right reasons. The campaign began with standup comic 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.

Nando’s attack on Cell C could be a further blow to the mobile operators attempts to rebrand the company in the minds of the consumer. Comparative advertising is still illegal in South Africa, but it seems that there is no problem in parodying and making fun of another company’s advertising campaign.

Do you think it works? Take a look at the ad and tell us what you think.

If you’re a fan of Nando’s latest campaign, then like their Facebook page here. I’ve a feeling this is part of a new and interesting drive into social media from one of SA’s most innovative brands.