People love their Nando’s PERi-PERi sauce. They love it so much, it’s triggered other copycats in the market. Thing is, most people don’t know all the hard work, heritage, and fire that goes into Nando’s PERi-PERi chillies, that make it so special.

To keep Nando’s top-of-mind, we needed to educate the masses. But how can we target young people, when attention spans are getting shorter and shorter? And with a production budget less than peanuts,* how can we do it effectively online?

People love their Nando’s PERi-PERi sauce. They love it so much, it’s triggered copycats from competitors. Thing is, most people don’t know the all fire and passion that goes into Nando’s PERi-PERi chillies, that make them so special.

To keep Nando’s top-of-mind, we needed to raise awareness. But how can we get young people interested online, when attention spans are getting shorter and shorter?

We brought the fiery heart, soul, and spirit of Nando’s to life, through an interactive storybook about a mighty, mini PERi-PERi warrior. Then, reached out to them on Facebook and Instagram through a targeted Instant Experience, designed for the one place they spend time most – their mobiles.

We reached out to our audience through a platform designed for the mobile screen in the form of an Instant Experience. Then, we personalised it by targeting them based on their age, profile and lifestyle.

In lush red and orange hues, the illustrations brought out the fiery heart, soul, and spirit of Nando’s. The bold strokes expressed the bold flavours, the fierce expressions represented the fierce passion, and the geometric elements were a throwback to its colourful rich South African heritage.

But, we didn’t stop there. The elements were composed to bring out each scene, with the most fiery of colours firing up the fighting spirit of the PERi-PERi, and softer hues bring out the warmth as people fell in love with the chilli. To further immerse readers, select scenes were animated and made interactive, where they could swipe and tilt-to-pan 180 degree scenes.

The execution took 4 weeks, from writing the story to the final output. The scenes were sketched out with the interactivity and animation planned, frame by frame. The character and scenes were then illustrated on a digital tablet with a stylus, on multiple layers for easy animation.

After animation, the final output was uploaded as a Facebook Instant Experience, with select scenes triggered for interaction. All to make it easier for people to immerse themselves in the story, and paint Nando’s PERi-PERi, as a chilli unlike any other.

(View URL on mobile for the full experience)

The result? With a minimal budget and short online time frame, this eye-catching story brought the heart and soul to Nando’s PERi-PERi chillies, so they could stand out as a chilli like no other. It didn’t just help raise awareness for consumers, it fired up their hearts, tummies, and imaginations.

It managed to generate 1,458,030 impressions, 9110 conversations and 13,367 clicks. All in just one week and counting.