Nando’s Malaysia finds truth and comedy in everyday stories through animation

Nando’s Malaysia has released a new animated content series that brings to life stories inspired by real experiences of its restaurant staff, known as “Nandocas.” The campaign, developed by Chariot Agency, takes a lighthearted look at everyday interactions between staff and customers, turning them into short, relatable stories.

Chariot explained that using animation for the series was both a creative and practical choice. The agency saw it as a charming and sustainable way to tell stories, allowing them to maintain a consistent stream of content without constantly chasing trends or sourcing new talent. They also noted that TikTok audiences had shown a growing appreciation for animated content, which gave the team confidence to pursue this approach.

All videos were hand-drawn and voiced by Chariot’s internal creative team, with no AI tools involved at any stage.

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The first episode dropped in September last year and, thanks to popular demand, evolved into a full-fledged series throughout 2025, with at least one new instalment each month. The latest video was released on 31 October, bringing the total to 21 animated shorts. Among the standout episodes was one launched for Malaysia Day, which tied in with the Keretapi Sarong event and drew over 2.1 million views on TikTok. The story follows a Nandocas’ morning commute, where he begins to panic after noticing a crowd seemingly tailing him to work, only to realise they were all heading to Nando’s for its free festive sides promotion.

Another fan favourite, released for National Day in August, featured a family dressed in the colours of the Malaysian flag. Their unusually specific order turns out to be part of a child’s school project, where he assembles the sides into a mini Malaysia flag and proudly snaps a photo with the Nandocas who helped bring his “artwork” to life. The brand also timed several episodes to coincide with key celebrations and events such as Hari Raya and the AniManGaki 2025 anime convention.

Ultimately, each quirky tale, told from the perspective of Nando’s waiters, celebrates “the Nando’s thing”: the idea that everyone has their own unique way of enjoying Nando’s.

Chariot also highlighted the campaign’s success in engaging Gen Z audiences, a group notoriously resistant to traditional ads, noting that while Gen Z tends to dislike ads, they respond strongly to content. To reach this audience, Nando’s disguised its advertising as authentic content in the TikTok series “Nandocas on Duty,” showing real aspects of the restaurant experience, from bottomless sauces to flame-grilled PERi-PERi chicken. The campaign’s performance highlighted 13,597 new Gen Z followers, 52,558 total hours watched, 5.19 million total views, and zero spend on media.

According to Christyna Fong, creative director at Chariot, the priority was to make the stories both entertaining and authentic. “It had to be funny, but also rooted in truth,” she told A+M. “We didn’t want to make up wild stories just for the sake of being over the top. The best comedy often comes from things people actually do, and that’s what makes the content relatable.”

For Nando’s Malaysia, the campaign builds on its ongoing focus on people and brand experience. Marketing director Lim Siew Ling said, “At Nando’s, it’s always about our people who make the chicken. Our Nandocas aren’t just waiters, they’re the ones who bring our brand to life and care for our customers. These stories come straight from them. Sometimes funny, sometimes bizarre, but always real. So we thought, why not share them? The series is really a collection of little nuggets of life from our Nandocas.”

Nando’s Malaysia has been no stranger to blending humor, nostalgia, and food in its marketing. Its "InnuNando’s" campaign reimagined the 90s ballad Belaian Jiwa in a tongue-in-cheek music video celebrating the craft behind its flame-grilled PERi-PERi chicken, part of the broader “That’s a Nando’s thing” platform highlighting the brand’s quirks and passion.

At the same time, the “Bowl Therapy” campaign promotes the new PERi-tomato chicken bowl, offering comfort food as a playful alternative to wellness trends. Social-led videos show individuals sharing their thoughts with a bowl of food in mock therapy sessions, making the content relatable and shareable while reinforcing Nando’s distinctive brand personality.

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