Agency Scope 2023-2024: Industry respect for Nando's marketing three times that of nearest rivals

Source: © The Good Things Guy The Good Things Guy Art Installation by Kilmany-Jo Liversage at Nando’s Maponya Mall in Soweto, Johannesburg

As it turns out, the results of the best campaign tend to be quite similar to the most respected companies for their marketing.

Agency Scope analysis notes that the top three companies – Nando's, Chicken Licken and Checkers – saw Chicken Licken leading in the “company with the best campaigns” section, followed by Nando's, then Checkers.

Nandos takes flight

These top three brands are consistent across all three charts, but the standout came when marketers were asked about the most respected companies for their marketing, and advertisers with the best marketing strategy.

Here Nando's takes flight, outpacing all rivals as the strongest in the top three by far.

“Outdoing a rival brand by three times is a big deal,” says César Vacchiano, president and CEO at Scopen.

“Although Nando's campaigns may not be scoring at the same level, the company’s marketing strategy and the industry’s overall respect for their marketing is still way ahead of anyone in the top three and even the top 10.”

He adds, “It is also noteworthy that Checkers gained the most mentions among the top 10 companies most respected for marketing, moving from 10th position in 2021 to third in 2023.”

Best marketing strategy

A new question to marketers in Scopen 2023-2024, asks them to identify the advertiser with the best marketing strategy.

“The results bear out previous learnings mentioned in 2023, where we noted that agencies were being urged to place more emphasis on strategy,” says Johanna McDowell, Scopen partner and CEO of the Independent Agency Search & Selection Company (IAS). “What marketers are looking for from their agencies is strategic capabilities.”

While marketers themselves may have a good business strategy in place when their agencies assist with the same strength, it provides another opportunity for marketers to be kept up to date with market trends and opportunities, she asserts.

“The value of agency relationships is buoyed by their strategic planning abilities.”

Nando’s: Demonstrates cohesion between agencies

McDowell further notes that Nando’s’ positioning as the most respected company and advertiser with the best marketing strategy demonstrates cohesion between all the various agencies in the brand’s ecosystem and that they’re all working well together.

“Once again,” says Vacciano, “we’re finding that the participants in the Scopen study can offer immense learnings to the market as a whole, and by choosing their top campaigns, respected companies and marketing strategy unprompted, they offer a collective insight that other marketers and agencies can review and possibly emulate heading through 2024.”

Scopen announces SA’s top 10 most admired marketing professionals

10 Jan 2024

The biennial study saw researchers interviewing 312 marketers from 220 companies.

McDowell says, “What is important about these particular questions is that they were posed to marketing professionals, not agency professionals, meaning their responses constitute peer recognition rather than adjudication by agencies.”