As campaigners go after Nando’s, is the chain in mild, medium or hot water?
The casual dining chain Nando’s came under pressure recently after one of its suppliers was accused of dumping waste into the River Wye. Celebrities including Chris Packham, Dame Joanna Lumley, and Dominic West signed an open letter from River Action UK demanding that the company meet with environmental charities to discuss its approach to sustainability.
Although it was only published on the 10 February, the letter looks to have already proven peri bad news for the chain’s public image.
YouGov BrandIndex UK tracks consumers’ views on brands across a range of sectors every day. Our data shows that Impression scores for Nando’s – which measure general positive and negative sentiment towards a brand – have halved from 32.4 to 16.7 (-15.7) since its publication.
Customer Satisfaction scores have taken a similar dip, falling from 30.1 to 19.0 (-11.1), as have perceptions of the restaurant’s quality: scores for this measure fell from 16.2 to 10.3 (-5.9). Association with the water pollution allegations have also impacted Consideration scores – which ask consumers whether they would buy from a certain brand when next in the market for a particular product or service – dropped from 31.5 to 22.9 (-8.6). Will this story see some of its customers fly the coop?
Nando’s itself was quick to respond to the accusations: a spokesperson for the brand said that its supplier had assured them that no manure was “spread, stored, or otherwise disposed of on any of the chicken farms [they] source from.”
Whatever the truth of these allegations – which, again, relate to a supplier rather than Nando’s
itself – they’re at the very least an inconvenient thing for any communications team to refute: evidenced by the fact that the company’s Index scores, which measure overall brand health, have plunged from 19.8 to 10.7 (-9.1). Will the story have a lingering effect?
It’s perhaps too early to tell – but for now, the chicken brand may well be walking on eggshells.