Leading global chicken chain Nando’s ropes in top creatives as it unveils its new brand campaign
BY City Life Arts Writer
In the minds of many who have been following the adverts that over the years have been created by Nando’s, the global leading South African chicken brand, there is no doubt that when it comes to telling their brand story, the chain ranks as the leading, if not the best in the country.
And so recently, Friday, 14 November 2025, when invitations went out that the chicken brand was launching its new brand campaign, many honoured the invite, and made a bee line to Fourways, north of Johannesburg, at a venue for the launch.
Turning Up the Flame— Not the Volume
The new brand ad brings the full orchestra to the table. It’s narrated by legendary news anchor Mam Noxolo Grootboom, features local HipHop megastar Kwesta and Rachel (a Nandoca turned TikTok phenomenon), real Nando’s grillers and spotlights a cast of South Africans who embody that elusive ‘thing’ you can’t quite explain — but you know it when you feel it. The ad doesn’t explain the culture — it lives in it.
Chief Creative Officer MelusiMhlungu sums it up: “This isn’t a performance — it’s a mirror. The humour, the heart, the hustle. One flame-grilled scene at a time.” That’s what happens when creativity stops chasing trends and starts reflecting people.
Nando’s Chief Brand and Customer Officer, Jessica Wheeler says, “This isn’t a campaign. It’s a reset — a return to the way Nando’s was built from day one. Great food. Warm people. A place that feels unmistakably South African.”
The thread running through it all?
It’s the people who make the chicken.
That’s not copywriting. That’s the business model.
The Spirit of Nando’s Burns Bright Again
Rooted in people, powered by culture — they’re reigniting the flame that’s made South Africa fall in love for 38 years.
For 38 years, Nando’s hasn’t just served chicken — it’s served a way of being South African. Now, the brand is turning that flame inward and firing it up again.
On 14th November, Nando’s South Africa did more than launch a campaign. It staged a homecoming. The new brand direction, “Oh What a Place!”, isn’t a tagline — it’s a signal that the original South African maverick remains a cultural institution that cooks as boldly as the people it serves. It’s a return to the ingredients that built one of South Africa’s most loved brands: flame-grilled food, warm hospitality, and a sense of humour that could only come from here
CITYLIFE/ARTS had its eyes and ears there, and here we bring you, the reader, action through these images.
