Blah Blah Blah, Fish Paste
My British husband recently informed me that ‘blah, blah, blah fish paste’ is a uniquely South African term. As I had planned to do my first blog of the year and intended to waffle at you about various South African brands that are killing it - I figured it’s the perfect title for this.
I also figure other countries must be incredibly boring not to have sayings like that.
South African companies that are rocking 2026
2026 brings with it a focus on great marketing, but not in the way you may be expecting. Let’s have a look at some of the brands that are bringing it home this year.
Checkers - Sixty60
I’ll always start with these guys. Ten years back, Checkers’ branding was never amazing. Checkers was always seen as a middle to lower class bracket. Good savings, but nothing special. Great place to get chicken feet - not so great to buy your brie. Now, I’m not saying that that was true, purely that it’s how we perceived the brand.
Throughout later years, the marketing improved, but it was Checkers Sixty60 marketing that truly revolutionised the Checkers* brand. All of a sudden, there’s a fun brand that we identify with. It’s South African, plus, we meet these guys every day, we get to know them. I’m not sure if they get provided training on being the most awesome people on earth, but I’ve yet to meet a Sixty60 driver that doesn’t smile and doesn’t remember every one of our encounters. Actually, one poor bloke nearly crashed his bike waving at me recently.
Now, we have faces we know. Raw and interesting ads. Quick and reliable shopping that means we don’t have to move our butts from our seats and all round great service.
Then they hit us where it hurts - kids. Checkers' Minis became a fad overnight. At one stage, I saw one of the pink trolleys selling for a whopping R6k! My house is still full of them. I’m not sure about the other stores, but our local one runs out within days. If you’re overseas - Checkers Minis are tiny replicas of our own shopping, brands and all. Made out of recycled plastic (kudos to them) and some were even scratch and sniff. They were free, came in your Sixty60 shopping or at the tills and were collectables.
Then came the merch. Every kid wanted a onesie. Every adult wanted a onesie (personally, I hope they’re about in Winter again, as I 100% will be getting one). You have fuzzy dice for your car, Checkers plastic motorbikes for kids and now, even stationery. I’m not ashamed to admit that my kids have the rulers and pens.
There’s only one small blip on the Checkers’ map, which they’ve gotten some slack from, using Jamie Oliver as a brand rep. I agree with the slack here. We have incredible chefs in SA that could have been used. We could have had uniquely South African dishes, and we’d have related a lot more. But a lot of money would have gone into the signing of JO and the planning and execution of everything. So, as brands go, I reckon this one blip can be forgiven. Many South Africans admire him, so it’s not a complete loss. But I do figure they missed a trick here.
I’m looking forward to seeing what Checkers brings us in 2026. I have no doubt it will be truly epic. Don’t disappoint!
*I’m sticking to Checkers and Sixty60 here, as that’s the brand I’m referring to. Shoprite has a completely different feel to it.
Naked Insurance
While a lot less ‘creative,’ Naked Insurance is absolutely pushing the envelope with its bold and clean marketing. Their billboards are everywhere. Getting adults snickering and kids asking questions that we don’t want to answer.
Their TOV (tone of voice) online is also fantastic. They are down to earth, human, mildly funny and fully relatable. Naked Insurance marketing is definitely worth a follow.
Their #GetNakedAnywhere campaign got South Africans across the nation joining in and tagging friends. They are the king of puns, with the ‘Lose Wait’ campaign and the general message about Naked Insurance.
Once again, we have a brand focusing on connections, relatability and being human.
Nando’s
You knew this was coming. Nando’s marketing campaigns faced a challenge when TV ads were paused, fast forwarded or not even seen at all thanks to streaming. However, they blustered through and still provide us with uniquely South African humour, ads that push the boundaries and great branding all round.
That being said, I am seeing less of them at the moment. I hope that’s just a personal perspective and we see more of Nando’s. I’m not a fan of the food, but I’m 100% behind the brand.
As a side note, I’m still amazed that it’s gone international, but the humour hasn’t. Nando’s advertising in the UK was a snooze-fest. They certainly missed a trick there.
What’s the take from this?
In 2026, South Africans are looking for a connection. While we may be the best in the world at complaining about our country, we are also proudly South African. We are proud to be a part of our colourful and vibrant nation and our idiosyncrasies make us who we are - we want brands that feel that.
As small, medium and micro businesses, we should be focused on connection, authenticity. If you’re doing a reel or a voice note - forget the posh telephone voice, the blurred background, the fancy antics. Customers want raw content. They want to see you.
So, go out there, be you and don’t be afraid to be real or make mistakes. At least it won’t cost you as much as signing Jamie Oliver!
Want tailored advice that doesn’t beat around the bush?
Hit me up:
📧 sez@sezdg.com
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