Brian Rungano Temba
The Zimbabwe Association of Accredited Practitioners in Advertising (ZAAPA) has issued a stern warning to Mambo’s Chicken and their marketing team against breaching ethics in their online advertising.
Mambos Chicken have gained infamy over raunchy adverts, which play hard on sexual innuendo and attempts to provide real time commentary to trending issues through tongue-in-cheek humour.
However, some of the content has not been well received by professional bodies in advertising, who described some of their works as “crass.”
In a letter seen by Tatateguru Tv, President of ZAAPA Mr. Barry Manandi wrote to Mambo’s Chicken cautioning against the sexualized advertising content in Mambos Chicken online advertising with the tagline that read;
“Uvusa Abalele!
Our breasts and thighs are not bad influence. They are just thick, juicy, tender and keep you coming.”
The advert was posted on October 1, 2021.
ZAAPA said they have been monitoring the adverts being flighted by the company with dismay.
“We have noted with concern, that in recent times your business has been exclusively using sexualized content to promote your products. While it is prerogative to create the brand that you desire, the introduction of lewd and course innuendo has come to the Association’s attention and members of the public have raised concerns around this,” said Mr Manandi.
Mr Manandi said Mambos should be sensitive to others in its adverts or face their full might as an association.
“While your material has been of concern generally, it is this latest piece of work that is mostly worrying. We now implore you, your marketing team and those handling your brand, from a creative perspective to assess whether your desire to promote great tasting chicken, or to tear the moral fabric of the nation, through advertising work that borders on the pornographic. As you are aware, the latter is illegal in this country and action will be taken by this Association, in tandem with its line Ministry, to ensure that our cultural fabric is denigrated,” said Mr Manandi.
Manandi urged Mambos to explore other ways of getting their message across without being vile.
Mambo’s Chicken has borrowed the Nandos and Antonio Federici model of culture shock and controversy in order to keep up and stay relevant with the cutthroat fast food industry.
This is not the first time Mambos have been called out for their advertising.
Last week, in a NewzWire article, top academic Delta Ndou accused the eatery of profiting from sexual innuendos which are made at the expense of women.
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