Nando’s has seen Santam’s bet and raised it!

Nando’s has seen Santam’s bet and raised it!

South African brands do not take well to comparative advertising. But battle of the spoofs between Santam and Nando’s has greatly benefited both brands writes Greg Nicolson, Daily Maverick

Oscar-winning actor Ben Kingsley is centre of screen as the camera zooms in. Standing at the bar in a suit, he places you in a scenario. You’ve read through your insurance contract thoroughly.

But, he asks: “Could you have missed something important, overlooked something amidst the Latin clauses and the different sections and the different sections’ subsections?” He finishes by pointing out that the barman’s outfit has changed four times during the one-minute advertisement. Chances are, you didn’t notice it.

It’s part of Santam’s “Real McCoy” campaign to make consumers ask the hard questions, says Kyle Marquis from ad agency King James, responsible for the company’s advertising.

Nando’s has been using parody and satire for almost 20 years so it didn’t come as a surprise when the fast food chain released a spoof of Real McCoy. It replicates the tone and set-up with an actor talking to the camera while Nando’s meals are conspicuously changed on the bar counter.

What came as a surprise was when Santam, an insurance company nogal, bought into the joke. King James smashed together “Back at ya”. Sitting in front of the TV, “Kingsley” says Santam was flattered it was “cribbed”, but if they’re to overlook the indiscretion the unnamed has to meet a list of demands. They want 62 lemon and herb half chicken and chips with coleslaw (the list goes on) to be delivered to the Johannesburg Children’s Home.

(Greg Nicolson, Daily Maverick, 26 April 2012)

Nando’s has seen Santam’s bet and raised it by offering the Johannesburg Children’s home more than just a meal on their chosen day, but a meal a month for a year.

Radio 702′s Bruce Whitfield addressed the issue on The Money Show late on Tuesday and he calculated that the cost of the list of menu items amounts to R6 310.

Alistair King of King James ad agency, the agency responsible for the Santam adverts, told Whitfield he feels the spoof was in good nature, but “no one ever spoofs the spoofer, so we did.”