Nando’s pokes fun at anti-vaxxers in new marketing campaign for its order-a

In 24 countries on 5 continents, fast-casual restaurant chain Nando’s is known for its flame-grilled chicken coated in Portuguese sauce peri-peri, a hot sauce made from bird’s eye chili. But peri-peri supporters might find Nando’s latest offering even spicier than his Marinade “Extra Spicy”: an advertising campaign that makes fun of people who refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

The campaign, which launched this week, is designed to encourage downloads of a recently updated pre-order app for North American customers. But the ads employ an unusual parallel-universe-type strategy: the actors play the roles of people refusing to download the app due to unknown side effects and perceived infringements of their freedom, mockingly mimicking attitudes adopted by anti vaxxers COVID. Nando’s says the campaign is part of a history of political posturing, which has often been purposefully controversial. But he also says part of the goal is to encourage more people to get vaccinated.

The video spots, which will be broadcast on digital channels and social networks, are based on various theories of viral disinformation and conspiracy. In one place, a woman chants: “My phone, my choice”, echoing the pro-choice slogan “my body, my choice”; she later says, “I absolutely don’t want my phone implanted with 5G”, referring to the conspiracy theory contained in COVID vaccines 5G magnetic tracking (it doesn’t) – and adding that “only sheep eat free stuff from an app”.

In another video, a young couple discuss the side effects, fearing the apps could make the man impotent. They refer to “a social media expert” who says they don’t need the app – a reference to people doing their “own research. And, repeating a commonly heard phrase, they say: “Free things infringe on my freedom.

The campaign aims to join the discourse on one of the most pressing social issues of our time, says Sepanta Bagherpour, the company’s brand director for North America, by drawing humorous parallels between “disbelief as to the benefits of vaccination and the benefits of the application. At the end of the commercials, viewers see the tagline: “Don’t be an anti-apper.” Download the Nando app. It’s good for you.” The recently updated app helps customers skip the lines when ordering and earn shopping points for free items.

This isn’t the first time Nando’s has tackled sensitive social issues in the US market. Bagherpour says the voice reflects the values ​​of the company and the people who work there (called Nandocas), namely “inclusiveness and love of your neighbour”. He says the election of Donald Trump and the surrounding rise in racist rhetoric has spurred some of this work. On Inauguration Day 2017, Nando’s distributed posters in Washington, D.C., locations adorned with hearts and the hashtag #everyone is welcome.

He says such campaigns were popular with fans, who appreciated the company for taking a stand. Many companies have engaged in political brand activism recently. Dick’s Sporting Goods called for gun reform; Chobani defends refugees; and Nike ran an ad featuring outspoken former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, prompting some irate customers to burn their sneakers.

But the derisive tone here seems different from previous campaigns — more exclusive than inclusive — especially at a time when it’s crucial to keep pushing up vaccination rates. Although the ad itself uses the words “skewer” and “mock”, Bagherpour says, “We’re not aiming to wave the finger at people who have been victims of misinformation or who have been manipulated into not believing the science that essentially saves people’s lives.”

Additionally, Bagherpour says one of the main drivers of the campaign is to get more people vaccinated, which again is surprising given that studies have shown the best way to convince vaccine hesitants it is with humility, rather than putting them down. Bagherpour points out that increasing the rate of fire is especially important for a restaurant business, given how restaurant services have been impacted during the pandemic. “The more people get vaccinated, the less the reflex will be to shut down completely or apply measures,” he says.

The backlash is always a risk, but the company isn’t too worried; in the USA, Nando branches are located primarily in urban and politically liberal cities, particularly DC and Chicago, which have full immunization rates of 73% and 69%, respectively, figures both cities want to increase further.

Nando’s has been the subject of controversy before. After pressure, the company finally withdrew a advertisement 2011 who mocked Zimbabwe’s former president Robert Mugabe as ‘the last dictator standing’ as he ate alone at a table, remembered doing karaoke with Chairman Mao and doing angels of sand with Saddam Hussein. Bagherpour says the provocative branding stems from Nando’s story. The company began as South Africa emerged from apartheid and became one of the first brands to voice support for racial equality.

“We owe it to ourselves and where we come from to continue this legacy of taking a stand on certain social issues,” he says.

Correction: An earlier version of this article identified the wrong pepper used in Nando’s peri-peri sauce. While many peri-peri sauces use malagueta pepper, Nando uses bird pepper.