Nando's launches new Mzansi advert

The brand says that it should be no surprise that a South African is the first private citizen in the world with an ambition to colonise Mars.

According to Nandos', this idea — utterly ridiculous to those who haven't experienced the brazen ingenuity we see every day — is the bedrock of the new ad.

Even Mars, with more craters than William Nicol, superstorms bigger than a KwaZulu-Natal special and less electricity than Eskom, is no trouble for the resourceful people from South Africa, adds Nando's.


Nando's says, "It's the 20's and we've been through the most, watching as the world pantsula's from one crisis to another. Here in Mzansi, we've been dealt a stuttering economy, crippling infrastructure that leaves us with either water, or power (never both), and a persistent 'Randemic'."

"Unemployment, paired with the rising (and rising) costs of living and crime are such well-worn headlines that they barely make the front pages anymore. Wherever you look there is a growing sense of understandable discontent and the rightful rumblings of regular South Africans who must increasingly shoulder the heavy load," adds Nando's.

"We'd be forgiven for shrugging our shoulders, rolling our eyes, and simply giving up in the face of the seemingly unfixable nature of it all," says Nando's. "Sometimes, it feels like we've made a national sport of throwing hands and saying 'tsek to the relentless days, played out on Twitter feeds with highlights on your local community WhatsApp group."

The brand says, "But that isn't South Africans. South Africans don't give up. South Africans make a plan, always. South Africans have enjoyed many moments of history defining courage, and they've shared and celebrated the triumphs, discoveries and ingenuities that have put them on the map, solved a real problem or just overcome a daily nuisance."

Nando's new TVC aims to implore South Africans to listen to the 'smallanyana' voice in their heads that's begging them to recognise the Mzansi-bred creativity that has seen us through many a crisis before.

The ad features both current-day and nostalgic South Africanisms that have served them well here on Earth. According to the brand, these 'lekker' local ideas, when used to solve the anticipated challenges on Mars, remind South Africans of what they are capable of.

"If there's one thing we've learned by being a South African brand that has grown up alongside our South African democracy, is that even when we feel we have little power in the face of unimaginable adversity, we are never powerless," says Nontobeko Sibiya, marketing manager for communications at Nando's.

Sibiya concludes, "Our power doesn't come from our leaders but from ourselves. It has always been this way, and when the chips are down, it's even more important that we remember it."

According to Nando's, with a final rallying cry to 'Amandla Awethu, Again', Nando's aims to remind us to recognise and embrace our power once again. And if we can make it on Mars, imagine what kind of a Quantum Leap we can fire up here at home. 



For more information, visit www.nandos.co.za. You can also follow Nando's South Africa on Facebook or on Twitter.