Cell C sticks it to Nandos after copycat ad campaign

In August this year Cell C unveiled their new branding which sees the old red logo and spotted “C” replaced by a new black and white logo with the “C” in the latter part of Cell C, placed within a solid circle.

The new Cell C branding campaign was accompanied by an advertising campaign featuring comedian Trevor Noah as their new customer experience officer (aka CEO) marketing their new 21 Mbps HSPA+ network as a 4Gs network – 4 Great Speed and 4 Great Service.

The new corporate identity, said Cell C’s actual CEO Lars P Reichelt, “reflects the company’s vision of understanding its customers’ way of life better than anybody else and tailoring solutions around them to enhance lifestyles and improve livelihoods.”

This high profile advertising and branding campaign has grabbed the attention of the media, consumers and even Cell C’s competitors who are battling them with ongoing ASA complaints about their 4Gs branding.

Nandos riding the Cell C wave

Cell C’s marketing campaign has become a talking point in South Africa, and Nandos has now launched their own tongue-in-cheek advertisements poking fun at the Cell C campaign.

The Nandos advertisements features a Trevor Noah type character, but instead of Noah ‘watching Cell C like a hawk’ the Nandos character says that “I’m watching you Nandos. Like a chicken.”

The Nandos advertisements further play on the term 4Gs with their 5Gs, which stands for ‘5 Great Sauces’ – Mediterranean, Lemon and Herb, Mild, Hot and Extra Hot.

The Nandos campaign will kick off in full force this weekend with television, radio, print and in-store advertising.

Cell C responded to Nando’s copycat ad campaign by sending both the Nandos CEO and Nandos Marketing Director speed sticks (their HSPA+ USB dongles with data included), adding that they hope that Nandos will launch a ‘fastest chicken’ meal in future.

“Nando’s campaign gave us a real chuckle, we love the ads and it’s great to know that our initial campaign is inspiring creativity in other companies,” commented Reichelt.  “I trust that the Nando’s executives will enjoy their new super-fast internet connection and that they will consider adding ‘Speedchicken’ to their menu.”

Nandos Cell C in-store advertisement image

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