[Orchids & Onions] Nando's clucks as Zuma giggles

So much so that these days there are many copycat Photoshop artists out there posting funny fake ads all over the internet.

I am sometimes a bit cynical about the Nando’s approach because it relies on controversy to send its message virally far further and far wider than it could using the paid-for media.

In a way, this is doing exactly that, but I can’t help but smile at the company’s latest TV ad.

What makes it stand out is not the comedic concept at the heart – Nando’s has done many that have been much better from a laughter point of view – but that the production company and those who cast the actors did a superb job.

We see three people, looking exactly like President Jacob Zuma, DA leader Mmusi Maimane and EFF commander-in-chief Julius Malema sitting down to a game of “spin the bottle” or “truth or dare” while surrounded by Nando’s chicken wings.

At first glance, they look exactly like who they supposed to be. But they don’t quite sound pitch-perfect, especially in the case of Zuma, whose little giggles could be delivered only by him.

There is even a cameo appearance by someone who looks just like (from the shoulders down) Public Protector Thuli Madonsela.

She slaps Zuma down when he tries to grab a chicken wing, telling him, “You’ve already had too much”.

It’s a little light relief and, unlike some of the other Nando’s ads, which focused more on getting a laugh than punting a product, this reminds us that we should be on the lookout for the wings special from 17 August.

So Orchids to Nando’s, agency M&C Saatchi Abel and to Dean Blumberg of Bouffant Films for making it come alive.

Screengrab from the ad.

As regular readers of this column know, nothing infuriates me more than a public relations person who has no clue about the media he or she is dealing with. One of my biggest bugbears is the widespread lack of understanding of the deadlines all media work to.

So I was astounded last week when a PR pitch landed in my e-mail box promoting an interview assessing the merits of the election advertising of the parties in the local government elections.

The pitch read: “…with most of us being bombarded by branding and advertising across all media platforms, the difference between ‘pay-off’ and party philosophy is becoming increasingly blurred – and it’s worth understanding the ‘story’ that’s actually driving your vote on Wednesday.”

Why was I astounded? Because the e-mail arrived at 12.19pm on Tuesday, the day before the elections. Anyone with the vaguest understanding of the news media would know that the chances of someone following this up, when the advertising campaigns had only a few hours left to run, were minimal.
There was too much real news on the go by then and all the media outlets would have been focusing on that rather than on soft analysis. This story should have been pitched at least a week earlier.

If you don’t understand how we work, don’t bother us. You get an Onion for not doing your homework.

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