South African chicken restaurant chain – and, arguably the “cheekiest” of chicken restaurants – Nando’s has taken a comedic jab at conspiratorial anti-vaxxers in its new brand campaign.
Dubbed, “Don’t be an anti-apper”, the short video series sees actors playing “truthers” who record their social media rants denouncing Nando’s “dangerous” new app.
“My phone, my choice,” rants a “Karen” in one of Nando’s new online spots. “I don’t want the Nando’s app on my phone! I sure as hell don’t want my phone implanted with 5G… Do you even know what’s in these free chips? Teeny-tiny micro-chips!”
“Waiting in lines is good for you,” says a different conspiracy theorist. “There’s absolutely no scientific evidence that proves skipping lines is good for you!”
“I ordered Nando’s directly from my phone once, but I realised no one has studied the side effects,” says another.
The campaign – which is exclusive to Nando’s North America – is a concentrated effort by the beloved chain restaurant brand to discredit so-called “truthers” and help end the COVID pandemic, while encouraging vaccination and downloads of its new app.
“COVID is tough on everyone, of course, but the hospitality industry business has been particularly hard hit. Nando’s wants to push back,” Nando’s said in a statement.
However, the company said they didn’t intend to alienate potential consumers through the new campaign.
“We think that through some good humor and some tongue-in-cheek advertising, we can encourage a conversation around the benefits of vaccination,” Nando’s chief brand officer, Sepanta Bagherpour, told wtop news.
