Winning with culture

Nando's, the ever-popular chicken restaurant, partnered with Arsenal football club's starboy Bukayo Saka to launch a new sauce. "Peri Peri Saka" was created by Saka himself, and supposedly offers a "fiery kick" (despite ranking as a "medium" on Nando's own chilli scale). The big win from Nando's was the relevance that the partnership brings. Saka is a Nando's megafan, his dad celebrated a birthday there, and Arsenal have long been putting in the work to be the most culturally relevant football club in the UK - a culture of which Nando's is undeniably a part, especially in London. The two brands complement each other completely. In particular, the TV ad is especially good. It's incredibly well-crafted, and it has this special blend of Nando's familiar high energy, UK grime music video vibes, and a little something from The Bear TV show. For a brand hellbent on being a part of (British) (pop) culture, this ad does a great job at blending lots of touchpoints together. And unlike other footballer cameos, Saka looks natural (take notes, Declan Rice in that weird Panini ad). Cultural relevance is a massive buzz-phrase in the industry. Everyone wants it, few know how to get it. But Nando's have done more than find the right influencer here - they've popped him right in the middle of something genuinely in touch with British culture. And it's exciting.