“Ja, but that’s the thing about you people…”

Every time I hear the words “you people”, I get a feeling of dread. It’s right up there with “I’m not racist, but” and “I want to speak to the manager”.

Nando’s gets it, and they know that ‘you people’ is one of those things that all South Africans can be guilty of from time to time.

Before we get to their latest advert, here’s Media Update:

According to Nando’s, ‘you people’ is a phrase often used by South Africans when describing people who are different from them.

The brand says it’s a phrase that goes hand-in-hand with an unconscious bias. “It’s used in jest, as a slight, and even in outright confrontation – and many South Africans are likely to have used the phrase at one time or another,” says the team at Nando’s.

“A year ago, we reminded South Africans that we can fix our sh*t – and this ‘you peopling’ is something we can all fix,” adds Doug Place, chief marketing officer at Nando’s.

“If you’re watching our ad and saying ‘I’ve done that’ [hopefully with a guilty smile], then we’ve been successful at starting a crucial conversation – hopefully, one that starts with ‘us people’,” Place concludes.

I guess a ‘you people’ moment isn’t the end of the world, if you check yourself quickly, but don’t ever go full Adam Catzavelos.

There’s a little hat tip in his direction in the ad below, too:

Well played, Nando’s.

Chicken Licken, the ball is in your court.

[source:mediaupdate]