The Sphere Agency behind Nando’s Bruno premiere hijacking
The Sphere Agency was behind a stunt at last night’s Sydney move premiere of Bruno which saw a fake Sacha Baron Cohen pull up in a pink stretch Hummer accompanied by scantily dressed models.
He was actually promoting Nando’s. The group managed to climb onto the rostrum, open up posters and douse themselves in what they claimed was Nando’s Peri Peri sauce before security manhandled them away.
Jacinta Cavalot, Nando’s national PR manager, said: “We’ve been watching the launch of the movie as it’s rolled out around the 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’t resist the opportunity.”
Sphere’s MD, Michael Abdul said: “His antics at Milan’s Fashion Week were the inspiration for the stunt. “It’s been a big year for us with producing topical commentary for Nando’s, the Bruno stunt is the latest in a long line of ‘in the news’ creative.”
Recent topical Nando radio ads have included riffs on chk-chk boom girl Clare Werbeloff amd Kevin Rudd’s new-found obsession with a fair shake of the sauce bottle.
- Meanwhile, Time Out magazine also got in on the action, holding the “Funfzehn Minuten of Fame” after party at the nearby Hilton Hotel’s Zeta Bar.
Some of the coverage:
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large. He returned to Mumbrella as Publisher in January 2025
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Awesome, the prankster gets pranked…
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IMHO, Nando’s would be better off spending it’s money going back to its old chunky wedges rather then the new “fish and chip shop” style it has rolled out recently.
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Well, wasn’t that great.
Are they saying that they couldn’t even put a little Portugasm in the mix?
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Hmm.
Good stunt, but he looks about as much like Bruno as their radio ad sounds like Kevin Rudd. Not very much…
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Is this really effective ? Where’s the connection to the Nando product ? And, how much exposure does it actually get ?
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How come no other news agency mentioned the “fast food shop” that was in charge of the stunt?? are they not allowed to mention Nando’s? When I first read about the stunt, I had a very strong feeling it was Nando’s but I knew I had to wait till mUMBRELLA mentioned the incident 🙂 Great strategy once again Nando’s!
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It definitely was Peri Peri sauce – the foyer stank of it. A well timed stunt, inside everyone just said “Oh it must be The Chaser”
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i have to get some nandos now
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The Bruno stunts are getting a bit familiar & a bit boring. It’s as if everyone wants to join the bandwagon. What’s next, Turnbull getting some advice from Bruno on how to handle rude swans?
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That was quality – well done to all involved.
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Hey gerd,
Don’t you get it? Nandos is so “HOT” right now?
Better luck next time!
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How is “I feel raped” funny? What a disgusting pig to say that. Also, Bruno wasn’t there so that was an edit. Please, don’t use rape as a joke when selling greasy chicken to kids.
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Good on them…Cohen gets to pull pranks on people so why not a company? Wonder if the Chaser boys will do something
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hmmm.. Peri Peri on boobs must sting..
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This is the only place I’ve read about it being a stunt for Nandos. They wrote Portugasm on the footpaths nears my house and I haven’t been back to a Nando’s since. I wonder if the people they put off by putting ads on the sidewalk is counterbalanced by the promotional worth.
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One thing to remember about Nando’s is that they are going with controversy in their advertising and promotions.
They’ve taken off Clare “Chk Chk Boom” Werbeloff, Rudd and the “fair shake of the sauce bottle”, Big Brother..etc to name a few.
How effective it is who knows? Nandos is quite expensive compared to Oportos (now owned by Red Rooster).
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Pranking authority figures is what The Chaser and SBC do so well.
But Pranking a prankster just doesn’t seem to be that funny to me. It’s like yelling out the punchline to someone elses joke: kinda pathetic.
Is ‘kinda pathetic’ the brand image that Nandos wants?
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Doesn’t anyone eat at my restaurant anymore?
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Oporto had a radio ad that was set in a proctologist’s office. I could seriously not eat there after hearing it. Nando’s bring back the birdman rally was a great campaign. Pranking Bruno is a good idea in theory but just makes me shrug my shoulders.
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Advertising stunts like this are so lame. I remember seeing a Dame Edna impersonator at a launch for a women’s cosmetic brand and thinking it was such a small idea; it made the brand look cheap like it couldn’t afford the real thing. No offense though, I actually love to see a ripped set of abs & a hummer. And those images of a hot rack smothered in hot sauce will keep me occupied indoors for the next 5 days – but I’m a vegan… On another note -was anyone else sadly disappointed by that interview of Bruno on Rove? Seeing Bruno rehash his Conan interview schtick on Rove really wore the edge off for me. I love Sacha B Cohen – but after seeing Rove it went down many notches. The same gags showed the king of spontaneity revealing his script. & seeing Rove yet again try to make himself the center of it all was one of the most cringe worthy things I’ve ever seen on TV.
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And then to see the same jokes repeated on “A Current Affair” the next night..
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Cant wait for Bruno to disappear off our screens. Cohen’s work will get tired very quickly if he keeps coming out with parody characters (Ali G, Borat, Bruno..etc)
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Nando’s + Hot Sauce + Blonde models + Bruno doesn’t quite add up in a relevant way for me? A bit try-hard, but top marks for effort to put it together.
I would also suggest that too little was in the way of those “crazy” Nando guys (the one man security gauntlet / the camera at the door etc). Suspicious maybe?
Perhaps even Bruno needs a little extra brand sauce to spice things up these days?
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Our guys put it together, well the staffing side of it..nevertheless, all you commentators who seem to have a problem with it need to lighten up, all PR stunts are put together in the same way, for an ultimate goal or objective.
So get over it, and enjoy it for what it is.
Damn Nazi’s
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