You People

South Africa is an incredibly diverse country with a divisive history. We have 11 national languages, countless cultural groups and all the tension that goes with that.

Nando’s has grown up alongside SA’s democracy and has built a reputation for tapping into the local zeitgeist. Racial and cultural bias continues to be a big part of our national dialogue. With various recent occurrences getting the country fired up - like a guy who said a beach in Greece was great because there wasn’t a particular group of people in sight.

“You people” is a phrase often used by South Africans when describing people who are different to them. It’s a phrase that goes hand in hand with our unconscious bias. It’s used in jest, as a slight and even in outright confrontation – the fact of the matter is that all South Africans have used the phrase at one time or another. We’ve all been guilty, some more than others, of you peopling our people. Here’s the thing, the over-simplified ideas and assumptions we make are what divide us – and ironically, it’s what makes you people all the same, Nonke (all of you)!

We wanted to get South Africans talking and “You people” did that. It was picked up by local mainstream news sites and radio stations, trended at #7 on YouTube in the same week that Beyoncé performed in South Africa, trended on Twitter, and was the number one most searched for thing on Google only a day after launch. It also won silver at the Loerie awards.
Client: Nando’s
Concept + Creative Direction: Bella + Lubhi
Creative Director: Jabulani Sigege
ECD: Neo Mashigo
Director: Chloe Coetsee
Production House: darling.tv