Bruno gets brunoed – courtesy of Nando’s
Nando’s pulls off saucy stunt at Bruno premiere.
The Sphere Agency has pulled off another stunt for Nando’s at the glitzy red carpet premiere of Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest movie Bruno, where he himself was Brunoed. A Bruno double and his ‘entourage’ rolled up in a hot pink Hummer limo and made it onto the red carpet, fooling security, awaiting fans and the media. View the stunt
Dressed in bright green lycra and wearing cowboy hats, they posed forthe cameras and waved to the crowd before dousing themselves in Nando’sPERi-PERi sauce and unveiling signs that said: “This year’s hottestchicks are covered in PERi-PERi”.
The stunt left security running around trying to clean up the sauce before the real arrival of Bruno minutes later.
Nando’s Australia National PR Manager, Jacinta Cavalot said: “SachaBaron Cohen has built his career on pulling these kinds of stunts andpoking fun at people.
“We’ve been watching the launch of the movie as it’s rolled out aroundthe world and couldn’t believe no-one had tried to pull off a stunt. So when the guys at Sphere came to us with the idea, we really couldn’tresist the opportunity to Bruno Bruno,” she said.
Sphere Managing Director, Michael Abdul said: “His antics at Milan’s Fashion Week were the inspiration for the stunt.
“The planning was done in a shroud of secrecy with only a handful ofpeople knowing the full details until the big reveal on the red carpet.
“It’s been a big year for us with producing topical commentary forNando’s, the Bruno stunt is the latest in a long line of ‘in the news’creative,” he said.
Nando’s is famous for its topical commentary, rolling out radio adswhich have spoofed some of the most talked about events in the mediaincluding the departure of George W Bush, Kevin Rudd’s tantrum on boarda RAAF, the Chick Chick Boom girl and Terry Wallace’s resignation.
72 Comments
When Sacha Baron Cohen does it;
1. Its funny
2. Its his idea
3. He occasionally makes a very telling point.
When Nandos do it;
1. Its lame
2. Its not your idea
3. You’re trying to sell fried chicken.
This is not parody, it’s plagiarism.
It looks cheap, its desperate and at very least it is really annoying.
I dont really like nandos, but FUCKIN BRILLIANT
Kids, you’re given the Nando’s account. You’re given a brief to get publicity. You’re given a budget. Couldn’t you do better than this?
I must say…. I’m actaully quiet impressed!
I predict a number of Sphere-shaped holes in quite a few people’s resumes in years to come.
its funny that someone has the balls to say its lame and too call it cheap but not to put their name to it
credit where credit is due, it worked and the crowd loved every minute, “fake” bruno was awesome and the security/police etc looked on lost, so so funny
It wasn’t on the news – shame. No one cared at the event either. I was there and went to McDonald’s afterwards. Yummy.
I thought what Nando’s did to Bruno is the type of thing Baron-Cohen has made a career out of. Pretty gutsy effort I reckon.
Someone posted a video of it already….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkJPDHQ9djo
Hey, I just thought it was really great because I’ve just read all the comments here and I thought the positive comments were, like, really great and I don’t like negative comments, so I thought I’d add another positive comment!!!
All you fuckers need to learn how to spell. Attrocious!
Nothing like some hot chicks to get my attention. Go Nandos!
It hasn’t made it into any of the news pictures, on any news site. Notice that even in the photos provided by the agency, the cameras (and people) are facing the other way. Probably out of embarrassment. Epic fail.
12:13, it’s funny that you work at Sphere because you’re shit.
Hate nandos after this, team organising it really didn’t need that.
Childish and innappropriate. Way to ruin a lot of planning and stress for those people 😉
Someone posted a video of it already, huh?
If I was a bookmaker, I’d be offering $1.01 that it was one of the team who organised the stunt.
I’d also be offering the same odds that the very same person came on here to post that – gosh, wow – some random has posted a video of the stunt on youtube.
Shit, this thing is really taking on a life of its own, isn’t it?
Note: having something on youtube has no currency. Getting several hundred-thousand views does. But you know that right?
(thanks Lynchy for continuing to put the nando’s stuff up. On a blog where future Lion-winning TVC’s get routinely slagged, it’s nice to have the occasional piece that actually deserves the vitriol.
The line could have been better, then the news might have picked it up.
Funnily enough I read this on campaign brief, not smh.com.au
Bruno, Is that you?
Read more….www.mrcicada.com
I’m afraid I have to agree with the first post.
Sacha Baron Cohen is a comic genius. I’m afraid this makes Nando’s look very cheap.
I think it was a good pr idea but could have had a better link to the product.
‘This year’s hottest chicks are covered in PERi-PERi’ … what the? If bruno was a chick then maybe. Maybe… ‘Even Bruno loves our hot breasts’.
Was following behind the hummer so got a great view of the action. Very well executed and I think everyone thought it was funny and a good warm up! However I bet security were REAL pissed off since you left the stage in a real mess with all the sauce!
Isn’t our job to be endearing to the public, somehow charm them over?
Nandos:
Portugasm (semen is the last thing I want to think of when I’m eating mayonnaise sauce)
Chk Chk Boom
Hijacking Bruno (hmmmm that went down like a Portugasm sauce)
Do you guys need a planner? Where is your strategy? What is it? Ride on the back of everyone else’s success with borrowed interest in the lamest way possible?
Sounds just like Nando’s riding on the back of Oporto’s success in Australia.
Nando’s… the restaurant we’re all a bit embarrassed about.
I know this didn’t get many hits either but it was all over the news.
And bloody funny.
Check out the girl with a ‘bit left over’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-_LbRwtMwU
Yes, wow. This is great. I also happened to be passing, by coincidence, eating Nandos, and thinking about how great their ads have been lately, particularly the PR, and I was really AMUSED and LAUGHING so hard at this effective communications event that has re-enforced my love of the NANDOS brand.
Ha ha ha. Still laughing. Whoever created this should be congratulated, including Michael Abdul.
It just doesn’t make any sense? A short fat wog in the crowd behind me yelled onto his phone “we got onto the stage, we’re on the news”. I knew straight away it was a creepy stunt when I saw the greasy munchkin swear on the phone in front of children. The fake Bruno was actually the French homo that does the Claire de Lune drag act. Why pour fake blood over bimbos? It’s a bit of a Carrie horror movie.
I’m an unemployed advertising guy like the rest of you bitches here, and so was watching morning TV and Nando’s got mentioned both on the 9AM show on Ten and Nine’s 11am news in connection to the Bruno stunt.
So I guess the media did give it coverage…
Saw it on Channel 10 this morning. Quite amusing….. Who is the bruno??? He was good
What a waste of a perfectly good ambush idea.
NICE ONE GUYS………. WISH I WAS THERE
Are you all serious?!?! It was brilliant!! BTW, Nando’s is FAR from fried chicken!! It is cooked on a grill!
Have you hear?
Michael Jackson is dead. Now there could be something in that for Nandos!
When Michael Jackson next comes to Sydney, then maybe he’ll be “punked” too, but in the meantime, enjoy the video guys…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIUlpkPKGvA
Bruno spelt backwards is ‘Onurb’, perhaps the crew at Nandos/Sphere were
‘On-urb’ when they dreamt this one up!! Just quietly, I reckon the old SBC must smoke a few fatty’s too!!!
I don’t get what everyone’s problem. This nandos Bruno stunt was great. who cares if they road on someone else’s idea..dont we all…haven’t seen any new original ideas coming out of any agency lately…nandos are doing exactly what we all do. you are all jealous of not having an account like nandos to play freely with. nandos are showing great initiative combining all including digital.
Oh crap. We have to put up with lame ambush comments about their own ads too.
Anyone defending this shouldn’t be here. Seriously. I’m all for freedom of expression and speech and all that shit, but you’ve got to draw a line at making people sit through tawdry, arduous, creche finger painting like this. To everyone at Sphere, it’s great that you’re trying to do good work, but until you actually achieve it, stop the pr machine. It’s embarrassing.
I’m with Me said “who cares if they ‘ROAD’ on someone else’s idea.
And yes we are jealous if it is the case with Nandos as there is no excuse why you shouldn’t be doing the best stuff in the world.
Just when you thought they couldn’t stoop any lower…. Sphere do it again.
Congratulations! You have made me throw up all over myself once more.
I heard that the guys at Sphere were currently dreaming their next hilarious stunt – to create a “best job in the world” pastiche for Nandos where the winner gets to work in at Sphere for six months dreaming up the next hilarious stunt for Nandos.
Who cares if they ‘ROAD’ on someone else’s idea???
I bet you guys open up your favourite AWARD books from 10 years ago, find an idea and back-fit it to the latest brief you’ve given. Straight out of design/copy school, not a skill in your folio and straight into nicking someone else’s true genius.
And by the way jealous? Let’s go back to the old Nando’s work that was clever, original and yanked off air for pushing the boundaries. Oh sorry, you wouldn’t remember that work because you’ve nicked it for that brief you’ve been stuck on for the last week.
Just pathetic. So very, very average.
FUCKING BRILLIANT…only thing that wld have made this better wz if they covered
Bruno in the Peri Peri sauce…..
If you can hand it out, you gotta be able to take it…..nandos-1, Bruno-0.
Yeah, I agree…
The Australian ad industry here reckon it’s pathetic.
But according to the international coverage it received, the world’s marketing industry seem to recognise it as brilliant ambush/guerilla marketing.
Pick whichever side of the fence you like, but avoid sitting on it cause your balls will get sore (that is, if you have any).
If this shit sells chooks, good on ’em.
But I very much doubt it.
Oh, and don’t give me ‘brand building’ as an excuse for zip sales.
If it’s not on the bottom line, it’s not on.
I love nandos . . .
but as long as Sphere does their advertising, i’d rather eat chicken shit.
Someone has to start a petition to end this stupid advertising. Its embarrassing.
12.12……….. blow me
is that going to be your next Nando’s poster headline 1.22?
12.12 – If you feel so strongly about it then why aren’t you the one starting the petition? Come on, don’t be lazy. Be proactive instead. If you can adopt that proactive attitude you may even pick up another account to keep you busy rather than wasting your time on here being bitter.
Where is this international media coverage?
This post is like listening to someone pretending to be someone else crap on about how great their work is, and it’s like the first idea they’ve ever had in their life “HOW DARRRE YOU MOCK MEEEEE”.
It’s the verbal version of what Nando’s gives you after you’ve eaten it, and it’s not very humble or inspiring. We all have good ideas, the only thing anyone could possibly be jealous of is the tragic opportunities you guys are missing with such a cool client that seems willing to approve anything that’s put in front of them. Please don’t bring your delusions of self grandeur (an early warning sign of schizophrenia, look into that) to the table.
As Ben Harper said, let the music speak for itself. If it sells it sells.
3.27, try looking a bit harder.
Heard of google?
There are not nearly enough anonymous posts from Sphere on this blog. I would have expected at least 40, rather than the current 37. C’mon guys, if you are not going to big up the work, who is?
I was going to have Nandos last night but then I remembered this. So I had pizza.
Anonymous said:
12.12……….. blow me
Nice comeback chicken shit. Enjoy working at sphere idiot.
hans gruber. your an idiot.
And the bruno stunt is the lamest thing ‘ve ever seen in advertising. sucks to be you hans. Go get a luna park. Freak
Sphere. Did you lot do the retail Coles press work? If not, someone is ripping off your unique and quirky style
I am always surprised and appalled by the distateful language and poor grammar and spelling used in these types of forums. I would hope that people working within the communications industry would have better skills by now.
Let’s come up with some intelligent and insightful praise or criticism…
Wow! Such vitriol.
Please email me if you’d like to take this further, or visit me at the Nakatomi Tower.
Auf Wiedersehen for now.
Simon says: How dare you talk to my brother like that. There’s a difference, you know, between not liking one’s brother and not caring when some dumb Irish flatfoot drops his concept out of a window.
Fuck off Nandos … and no, not all pulicity is good publicty. This is shit and embarassing.
3.27 Delusions of grandeur are the main symptom of an elevated bipolar. Hearing voices is the schitzo warning. ( Who said that?)
4:09 Guess you get the whole lot in one go hey!
gooni googo big foot
Yep. It didn’t work. Massive fail. Waste of time. No international coverage…
http://www.brandrepublic.com/News/917622/Baron-Cohens-Bruno-spoof-gets-spoofed-Nandos/
Oh, on second thought…
PHIL….. YOUR A WANKER
3.27…………. your a wanker tooo
30,000 hits/ youtube in 3 day…….. great work Sphere. You ought to be proud of yourselves.
5.56pm. Did you notice the rest of Sphere’s Nando posts on You Tube in all your excitement? I would say there is little to be proud of here (except perhaps the incredible 14 views for “Celebrities” – how does anything get to be so unwatched?) Anyway, here is the the whole sorry list of EPIC YOU TUBE PR FAIL as of 04/07/2009 “Kevin Rudd” – 358 views; “Andrew Symonds” – 75 views; “North Melbourne Rubber Chicken” – 62 views; “Talkback” – 33 views; :”Kevin Rudd (cry)” – 61 views; “Celebrities” – 14 views; “Chk Chk Boom” – 543 views; “Federal budget” – 54 views; “Terry Wallace” – 209 views
PR fail. You are all talking to yourselves.
The only people who even care about the stunt are the losers on this blog whom I am sure are only made up of
1) Unemployed advertising execs
2) Other Agency Execs who have shit accounts and want to bitch others shit work out
3) Sphere Agency people trying to build more PR amongst Advertising execs
As for the general public, nobody gave a toss.
I am 100% confident this neither sold more Nando’s nor gave anyone a better perception of a failing brand.
Enjoy the chicken…. somewhere else.
Get real jobs clowns. No one in the real world cares.
anyone have a chewy???
Yeah, so anyway, can you clear something up for me?
From what I’m reading (such as 10.16) all the people that reckon this stunt was shit are advertising experts who must know their stuff, and all the people that reckon it was good can’t have an independent opinion, but must work for Sphere?
Oh OK, I get it now. Thanks for that.
Sorry to take up your time, You can go back now to creating that letter box drop for the local sandwich shop.
So 10.16…
Which number are you? A one, two or a three?
If you can’t fess up – maybe you can bark it to me in ultrasonic frequency. Don’t worry, no one but us will ever know.