No stranger to eye-catching campaigns, Nandos most recent offering, Big Chicken 08, created by Melbourne agency CHE, brings reality chicken to the small screen.

Big Chicken 08 is a series of six 30 second reality television episodes, in which those familiar with some of Nandos previous ad offerings will recognise the familiar tongue-in-cheek tone.

Our challenge was to create a campaign that would communicate the strong Nandos brand and personality whilst breaking through the clutter and adding something new to the mix […] Viewers have the power to decide what will happen next said Jason Ross, CHE Creative Director.

Big Chicken 08 is an integrated campaign and includes a website by digital agency NetX, www.bigchicken.com.au. The site lets consumers delve further into the world of the contestants. Users can view each episode online as they are aired on television. Plus, with chicken biographies, live news feeds and hen-house footage, consumers can satisfy their appetite for ‘Big Chicken 08′ gossip before voting for their favourite chicken.

The campaign is a huge step forward for us; it is the first time we have really embraced all that the online world has to offer Nandos, said Justin Monaghan, Nando’s national marketing manager. Big Chicken 08 shows that the cheeky Nandos personality translates comfortably into the digital forum. What we are finding is that users are spending considerable time on the Big Chicken website, checking out the chicken biographies and watching the episodes. This is great news for the future of Nandos online! added Justin.

Ed: This is an interesting one for me, especially the fact that Nandos is embracing the online environment as part of its campaign. Theres already some debate on this site as to whether Nandos quirky advertising message really aligns with their product, but I think their decision to back this campaign so heavily online at least partially shows that effective use of online is all about execution, and less about particular category.