3 marketing examples using celebs from Nando's, Stella Artois & Axe

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1. Nando's gets a Starboy in the kitchen

For fans of chicken and Arsenal all across the UK.

Nando's, the ever-popular chicken restaurant, has partnered with Arsenal 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).

We could say lots about how this is a massive influencer campaign that makes sense. 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.

But what I like in particular about this campaign is the TV ad in particular. 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.

2. Stella Artois avoid being overshadowed

You've probably seen this around LinkedIn and Instagram more than anywhere else.

Stella Artois teamed up with David Beckham for a new campaign called "A taste worth more". We're not sure what that really means - but the campaign focuses on ignoring David Beckham in favour of the Belgian beer. A TV ad has women rush to a bar that Becks is standing near, not to greet the ex-footballer but order a pint of Stella. The OOH features Becks' famous tattooed hands holding some Stella, but deliberately doesn't show his face.

According to the Stella Artois marketing team, Beckham “embodies modern, premium values”, which is why the sportsman was chosen for the campaign.

“The codes of premium have changed. Being ‘premium’ is no longer just about the price tag, brands now have to prove their worth to consumers at an emotional level.”

said Tim Ovadia, global vice president of marketing for Stella Artois, AB InBev.

This campaign feels quite confused. Ultimately, it's pure-play product marketing - at least the OOH is. But then there's this incredibly famous and expensive influencer attached to it. There's something very stunt-y about it, and I wouldn't be surprised if a PCA in a few months' time makes a big deal about how many earned impressions the campaign got. Not sure what that has to do with "premium", though.

3. Axe goes head-to-head

Axe has taken on designer fragrances in an internet-heavy campaign.

At the centre is a 2-minute video where Axe enlist the help of people who are overly familiar with the smell of Axe: locker-room veterans. Basketball icons Shareef O'Neal, Chiney Ogwumike, Kris Jenkins, and Brandon Beloti are asked to judge between Axe Black Vanilla and Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille. And Axe comes out on top.

In an OOH campaign, Axe leans on internet vocab with the headline "ratio + new Axe smells better than Chanel". A “ratio” is when a comment on a post gets more likes than post itself, but it has kinda become a shorthand for a middle finger.

There are three interesting things about this campaign:

• The talent is well-chosen. Who gets sick of the smell of Axe? People who spend lots of time in locker-rooms. So who better to judge a blind smell-test?
• It doesn't make sense. The OOH doesn't really have anything to do with the video. Yes, it's broadly about the fact that Axe > designer. But it's interesting how differently Axe are using different channels.
• Axe continue their inclusivity push. Decades of men-only marketing hurt the brand. But in 2021 they reinvented themselves for a Gen Z audience, continuing here by featuring Chiney in the video. Axe isn't just for men, and they want/need us to know that. And it's working.

Having been on the receiving end of many a Lynx/Axe gift set as a child, I'm glad that the brand is moving forward. This is cool advertising - even if it does seem hilariously dependent on the results of a blind smell-test. 73% of respondents preferred Axe to designer - a landslide so big I imagine even the Axe brand team didn't expect it.