Nando's MY and Jollibee mascots in impromptu dance-off

Nando's and Jollibee have stirred up some online chatter in Malaysia recently when its mascots were seen having a dance battle. A TikTok video by Nando's showed Jollibee wandering around a mall on its own until the former's mascot, Barci, engaged Jollibee in a friendly dance battle. The video started with the caption: "Jollibee was seen walking away sadly on its own until..."

The TikTok video has 21.3k likes, 492 shares and 319 likes. Most of the comments were positive, with some using "wholesome" and "sweet" to describe the dance-off. A few also said the dance-off was cute and supported the collaboration between both brands.

Elaine Chiew, Nando's senior marketing manager, told A+M: "At Nando's, we believe in having fun in everything we do and that's even more true when we're celebrating the opening of our newest restaurant at Pavilion Bukit Jalil after the pandemic." She added that it was a great way to welcome everyone to have fun and get fired up together with Nando's while sharing the company's culture of being a brand that celebrates inclusivity and diversity. 

Meanwhile, Jollibee's spokesperson said: "As a new brand in the market, Jollibee is all about bringing joy to everyone, and we are happy to have made a new friend. We look forward to more fun interactions in Malaysia."

Nando's recently opened its outlet at Pavilion Bukit Jalil and ran some carnival activities including face painting, PERi-O-Ring Toss, and the PERi-PERi sauce-making station. It is understood that the dance-off video with Jollibee was filmed during the opening celebrations. Jollibee also has an outlet in the same mall.

Jollibee landed on the shores of West Malaysia in February, opening its first outlet in Sunway Pyramid. This came four years after its first Malaysia outlet was launched in Kota Kinabalu, Centre Point four years ago. While the company had plans for Malaysia pre-pandemic, Jollibee Group's assistant VP and market head for Southeast Asia, Rodel Alcantara, told A+M previously that those plans were delayed over the past two years.

"We believe now is a good time, seeing how people have adjusted to the changes brought about by the pandemic and we’ve also adapted to cater to our customers’ changes. We’re also confident about the economy of Malaysia," he added then. 

Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

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