In terms of the advertising code of practice an advertiser should not copy an existing advertisement in a manner that is recognisable and which may result in the likely loss of potential advertising value.
Bizcommunity.com ran a votes poll on the matter following the ruling in which and asked: Was MTN chicken in getting the Nando's ‘Yello Hummer' ad banned? 69.45% (441 votes) voted Yes; 24.41% (155 votes) said No and 6.14% (39 votes) said they were not sure. In total 635 votes were cast to date.
Here are some of the comments that have been posted
True value
I don't think that MTN truly sees the value of this kind of dual advertising. If anything this puts a positive spin on their brand. Livens it up a bit. Besides that - everyone eating Nando's is thinking of MTN while doing it. Really silly to have the campaign pulled. By apn
Wasted marketing opportunity
MTN need to spice up their attitude...I agree with the comment by apn - MTN would have benefited hugely from the ad because it makes the reader think "MTN". And just because the ad is a humorous jab at MTN doesn't make it unoriginal either. In fact, I think it's genius! MTN are a "peri serious" bunch, aren't they? By Lee
Completely CHICKEN!!
Come on MTN - Catch a wake up!!! By Reel
MTN should look at their own creative before crying foul!
MTN rip off Budweiser's "Wassup" TV Ad and other BTL concepts and get away with it!! Shame on them! They need to change their agency. By FlashG
What happened to creativity and uniqueness?
If Nando's are creative, let them come with their unique adverts and stop being copy cats. By Bheki
Depends
Who did the ad and do they have a competing brand in their stable. If yes then MTN made the right move, if not Hade. By lodi dodi
