Nando’s has opened doors to its largest Casa in the region, at Dubai’s The Beach, Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR). To mark the milestone in Nando’s long-term UAE growth strategy, the opening’s bold marketing approach includes the food and beverage (FnB) brand’s first-ever global 3D anamorphic billboard.
Supporting the hero out-of-home (OOH) asset is a high impact OOH mix across digital screens in JBR, a citywide taxi takeover and a Barci by the Beach guerrilla activation that features the restaurant’s mascot Barci surprising visitors in JBR with scratch-and-win cards, offering prizes from sauce bottles to free meals, bringing Nando’s fun energy directly to the community.
The launch was brought together with a grand opening event attended by founders Robbie Brozin and Fernando Duarte, our passionate ‘Nandocas’, and the JBR community.
“Nando’s JBR is our twenty third Casa in twenty three years of firing up the UAE, so our goal was to drive strong awareness and continued brand love,” said Pooja Naik, Marketing & PR Manager at Nando’s UAE.
The FnB brand chose JBR for its reputation of being one of Dubai’s most iconic lifestyle destinations with constant footfall and a competitive visual environment.
“The screens above Roxy Cinema are known for high impact advertising, so we wanted to move beyond standard display and create an out of home experience with genuine stopping power,” said Naik.
She further explained that the 3D anamorphic billboard Nando’s the ideal platform to blend bold storytelling with immersive visuals. The FnB brand chose to use the medium to showcase the the venue by introducing its newest Espetada A Torre Dukkah Lima flavour.
“Bringing this towering item to life on JBR’s largest screens felt natural. The format amplifies its scale, flavour, and attitude in a way that grabs attention from every angle,” said Naik.
Nando’s 3D billboard creative mandate
Nando’s brief had two objectives: create a visual spectacle that would make JBR audiences stop, stare, and take notice of our new location, and hero the Espetada A Torre Dukkah Lima by giving this big menu item the oversized center stage presence it deserves.
This integrated marketing approach aimed to “paint the town in PERi PERi and firmly established Nando’s JBR as Dubai’s newest hotspot,” said Naik.
“The final execution achieved both,” said Naik. “The 3D anamorphic creative commands attention across JBR and presents the Espetada exactly as intended: bold, irresistible, and larger than life.”
The FnB brand partnered with The ARLab, specialists in augmented reality and immersive content, for the 3D renders and Contour Media as media partners for the campaign.
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Localised customer-journeys at ever touchpoint
The Nando’s campaign took a localised omnichannel approach to generate curiosity and amplify visibility while giving audiences multiple ways to engage with Nando’s in a lively, memorable way.
“Localisation informs everything we do, from our communications to our menu. In marketing, we adapt our fun, playful taglines into Arabic, keeping Nando’s cheeky, energetic tone while remaining sensitive to local culture and context,” said Naik.
This brand strategy expands to beyond marketing into tangible customer experience, with menu offerings that resonate with regional tastes such as hummus with pulled chicken, rice based dishes like creamy cashew chicken and the new Dukkah Lima flavour profile.
“We considered every moment where people might encounter Nando’s, from street level to social scroll,” said Naik. “High impact OOH, mobile touchpoints such as taxis, guerrilla activations, digital screens across JBR, social storytelling, and the grand opening event all worked together to create a cohesive, immersive brand narrative.”
Whether someone is walking along JBR, exploring Dubai, or scrolling online, they experience the same bold, flavourful energy and playful personality that define Nando’s.
“This integrated approach ensures our story resonates, strengthens local connection, and reinforces awareness of our new JBR Casa,” concluded Naik.
Credits
Campaign Development: Nando’s In-House Marketing Team
3D Billboard Concept, Design & Execution: The ARLab
OOH Screens: Contour Media
Taxi Advertising: Synergy Arabia
Campaign Design: Icebox Communication
