Chariot Agency helps Nando’s unveil PERi-BBQ, its first barbecue finisher

Nando’s is unleashing PERi-BBQ, its first-ever barbecue finisher, with a launch that leans into mischief and mayhem under the line “Taste the wild side of BBQ.” PERi-BBQ isn’t a new heat level; it’s a basting that rides on your usual PERi-PERi order.

“PERi-BBQ brings a fun twist to your usual Nando’s order,” said Lim Siew Ling, Marketing Director of Nando’s Malaysia and Singapore. “It’s a little wilder than what you’d expect from anything BBQ and it shakes up the flavours you already love. We wanted the launch to feel playful and a little unexpected, because that’s exactly the reaction PERi-BBQ sparks. Familiar, but with a jolt that makes you go… Okay, that’s different.”

The creative execution channels a deliberately derailed sensation to mirror the split-second disorientation when tasting PERi-BBQ for the first time. That’s why a billboard promoting chicken has no chicken in sight, or why the hero shot appears upside down. Each wrong-way choice is a purposeful metaphor for the flavour, jolting audiences out of their Nando’s routine.

Created with Chariot Agency, the launch treats every touchpoint like a playground. The first OOH appears as a stark black panel that reads ‘[insert chicken image]’. No glossy food shot, no sizzle, just an instruction to be noticed and pointed out. On YouTube skippable pre-rolls, only the left side of the frame was utilised. Stay a beat longer after the skip button appears, and the spot gets even more insane. Even the EDM plays along, sending an email whose subject line says “Nobody reads their email.”

“The work needed to feel fun and a little unhinged. The kind of work that should make us scared to show our ECD because it looks like a mistake, but in all the right ways,” said Christyna Fong, Creative Director at Chariot. “Strategically, that feeling that something isn’t quite right is the point: to nudge people out of their Nando’s routine and try PERi-BBQ.”

PERi-BBQ is a limited-time flavour available across participating Nando’s restaurants Malaysia from December until it runs out, with the campaign running across OOH, YouTube, programmatic, and social.