Radio Advert Analysis

As part of my analysis into radio advertisements, I listened to one advertising the Nando’s restaurant chain. The name of the campaign is entitled “The Spirit Of Nando’s”. This slogan is mentioned twice during the advert, once at the beginning and once at the end. The first is used as an introduction and the second to reiterate that you can choose whatever you want from the restaurant, be it a salad, chips or a dessert.

The advert is in a very humorous style, parodying stereotypical Mexican people: A woman having a unibrow and the enthusiastic approach to life. The male presenter of the advert is a very loud, happy individual who is heavily putting on an accent. A phrase that is commonly repeated throughout the advert is “It’s OK”. The accent of the man puts emphasis on the words and results in a highly stereotypical Mexican sound. “It’s OK” was a response to make feel better no matter who they are, as they can still enjoy the various things on offer at the restaurant. Some things that the man said was “OK” were “If you have eyebrows that join in the middle” and “if you’re a grown man that cries at bambi”.

The voice is quite funny and in a time where parodies are very popular, I think the use of his in the advert is good. It reminded me of the “Plenty” kitchen roll television advert. That also included a stereotypical foreign male and a tagline to match “It’s OK”- “One sheet does plenty”. It is also very jokey tone of voice as it isn’t a serious Mexican accent, but is instead heavily put on. The man is also very informal, addressing the listening audience in a way that makes them feel relaxed. The voice is quite annoying however, though this could work to its advantage as it would remain in people’s head long after they have listened to it. The music in the background is in the style of a mariachi band and provides an entertaining sound for pauses within the advert. This is another stereotype of Mexican people, which is why it has been included within the advert.

The brand identity is very prominent within the advert, as Nando’s is mentioned three times- once at the beginning, once in the middle and once at the end. This will be to make people aware of what they are listening to, no matter when they tune into the advert. Even if they haven’t heard the majority of the advert, simply hearing the name: “Nando’s” will make people aware of the brand. The voice and the descriptions of food within the advert may also point people in the general direction of the restaurant, through general foreign food association. Twice when the brand is mentioned is when it is part of the phrase “Spirit of Nando’s”. This is the name of the advertising campaign, with the spirit meant to capture the essence of the food and its culture. I believe this is why the advert is in the style it is (voice-over, sound effects).

The main purpose of the advert is to promote the brand in general, as they do not advertise any products in particular. Though they mention various foods on offer- salad, chips and

dessert- they are part of the food that is “OK” to eat. I don’t believe the brand has a large enough mainstream awareness for them to advertise individual products, which is why they have elected to advertise the restaurant on a whole.

I looked into the use of the heavy foreign accent on the Radio Advertising Clearing Centre (RACC). Under a section entitled ‘Racial Minorities, the RACC covers the use of foreign accents in radio adverts:

Jokes about different races, light-hearted scenarios involving racial stereotypes and the use of foreign accents in advertisements have the potential to offend.

Extreme care is needed to make sure that such creative treatments will not be perceived as being unkind or hurtful to ethnic minorities, and that they do not reinforce racial stereotypes in a negative way.

A fine line can be drawn, for example, between the use of a foreign accent in a relevant manner and one which is being used to denigrate or mock. While the mere use of a foreign accent is not precluded in advertisements, it needs to be borne in mind that humour in advertisements does not necessarily get round the potential to offend.

I believe that the advert is done in a light-hearted jokey way and isn’t in any way meant to offend, but is rather picking out some entertaining stereotypes. People will most likely be offended however, most likely the race in-question. The race that is being light-heartedly mocked is Mexicans. There is a perfectly good reason for the use of the accent however, as the restaurant serves South-America style dishes, so I don’t believe that it should be taken wrongly.

Overall, the advert was quite funny and entertaining, though the voice quickly becomes annoying and irritating. As they don’t advertise individual foods they aren’t able to describe them in a good way, which other food adverts may do. So, the advert doesn’t offer any outstanding aspects of the restaurant, which is something I think that they should have covered. I personally did not fully hear what was being said by the man, as his accent heavily shrouded words. Though this may not affect everyone, someone concentrating on driving or another activity may have to strain to fully understand what is being said.