Santam, a South African insurance company and restaurant chain Nando's have hatched one of the best advertising battles we've seen in a long time. The battle plays out in a series of suave, tounge-in-cheek videos that prove how brands can benefit from being good humoured.
So lets crack open the shell and see where it began. Santam featured Oscar winning actor Ben Kingsley in an ad which launched earlier in the year, using a 'made you look' technique.
Enter Nando's. Convinced the above ad was too sophistificated not to spoof, the company poached the same music and setting of the Santam ad.
The ball was now back in Santam's court. The brand could either a) not respond, and revel in the fact that Nando's was giving its original ad more mileage; or b) attack the barnyard bullies, guns and insurance policies blazing. Lucky for us, option b) is just what they did.
Nando's response? Tackle the challenge, raise the stakes even higher and throw in a casual insult.
The video battle generated significant buzz for both brands. Well played.
What do you think of the video's?
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