The Battle of the ‘Thing’: Nando’s Malaysia and McDonald’s India

By The Malketeer

In the crowded, noisy space of modern advertising, originality is the most prized currency.

Or so we tell ourselves.

Which is why, when two iconic brands in different markets rolled out campaigns anchored on strikingly similar taglines—“It’s a McD Thing” and “That’s a Nando’s Thing”—it’s tempting to cry creative coincidence.

But the truth is more layered, and more revealing, than that.

Because in both cases, the ‘Thing’ is not just a turn of phrase.

It’s a cultural handshake.

A Tale of Two Timelines

Here’s where it gets intriguing.

Nando’s Malaysia unveiled its “That’s a Nando’s Thing” brand platform on 21–22 August 2024 as part of a regional roll-out.

Over the past year, the platform has been reinforced with cheeky campaigns, quirky activations, and localised storytelling.

Fast forward almost a year later, and McDonald’s India launched “It’s a McD Thing” on 4 August 2025.

MediaBrief and exchange4media carried the rollout news the same day, with Campaign Brief Asia and Marketing Magazine also reporting on the first two films from DDB Mudra.

Same structural idea.

Different markets.

Different flavours.

But close enough for industry watchers to raise an eyebrow.

The McD Play: Ordinary Moments, Extraordinary Belonging

McDonald’s India’s “It’s a McD Thing” isn’t about reinventing the menu.

It’s about reclaiming the golden arches as the backdrop for everyday stories.

From exam results to post-shift hangouts, from teenage heart-to-hearts over fries to families breaking fast at midnight, the campaign distils decades of lived experience into a familiar emotional grammar.

It doesn’t yell. It nudges.

Even the “Your night shift, our night shift” line—targeting the unsung heroes of the late-night economy—shows the quiet confidence of a brand that knows it’s part of the furniture in people’s lives.

It’s a place that doesn’t just serve burgers—it hosts moments.

The secret sauce here isn’t ketchup.

It’s community.

The Nando’s Play: Quirk, Spice, and Cultural Mischief

Nando’s Malaysia’s “That’s a Nando’s Thing” had a year’s head start, and it’s used the time to marinate the message.

Here, belonging is built on inside jokes.

Turning a beloved Malaysian love song (“Belaian Jiwa”) into a chicken ballad?

Planting hidden codes in videos for fans to hunt?

This is a brand that doesn’t just invite you to the party—it hands you the mic.

Even its more reflective play, tapping into the social anxiety of “What would people say?”, is done with the wink of a flame-grilled eye.

It’s rebellious, but inclusive.

The brand leans into local humour, shared quirks, and just enough cultural provocation to feel alive.

As Jarrod Reginald, Executive Creative Director of The Chariot Agency, Nando’s Malaysia’s creative partner, succintly explained:

“With Nando’s, we’ve always leaned into what Malaysians already laugh, sing, and talk about. The ‘Thing’ isn’t an ad line—it’s a mirror held up to the culture, showing people their own quirks with a peri-peri twist. That’s why it sticks. It’s not manufactured, it’s lived.”

If McDonald’s is the friend who listens, Nando’s is the friend who dares you to try something crazy and fun.

Same Structure, Different Flavours

Both campaigns operate on the same branding blueprint:

• Claim a Cultural Corner: “Thing” becomes a proprietary shorthand for an entire world of associations. It’s not about the chicken or the burger—it’s about your chicken, your burger.
• Flip the Script on Perfection: Neither brand has gone for the high-gloss, aspirational lifestyle ad. Instead, they’ve opted for the wonky, real, sometimes awkward moments that make human connections memorable.
• Invite the Consumer into the Joke: Whether it’s McDonald’s turning your midnight craving into a communal ritual or Nando’s hiding playful easter eggs, both strategies make consumers feel like co-authors rather than spectators.

Why ‘The Thing’ Works Now

We live in a fractured attention economy.

Generations raised on infinite scroll are tired of being sold to.

They crave experiences that feel like their own—unpolished, spontaneous, and imperfect.

The genius of the “Thing” format is its elasticity.

It can stretch to embrace everything from a secret handshake to a viral meme, from a family ritual to a national in-joke.

It says: you don’t just buy this—you belong here.

The modern brand bible: make it personal, make it playful, make it ours.

For Marketers, a Caution and an Invitation

There’s a temptation to rush into linguistic mimicry.

But as these campaigns prove, the magic isn’t in the word “Thing”—it’s in the cultural equity you build around it.

Brands that succeed will be those that find their own shorthand for belonging.

Maybe it’s not a “Thing” at all.

Maybe it’s a place, a sound, a gesture, or a flavour.

But whatever it is, it must feel lived in—not manufactured.

Because here’s the uncomfortable truth: in 2025, your product is not your strongest asset.

Your shared language is.

And if you can’t make people feel part of the sentence, they’ll scroll past it.

So, is ‘It’s a McD Thing’ and ‘That’s a Nando’s Thing’ a coincidence?

With Nando’s arriving first in 2024 and McDonald’s debuting almost exactly a year later, the timing adds spice to the conversation.

Marketing Magazine has reached out to DDB Mudra, McDonald’s India’s creative agency, for comment.

In the meantime, voices like Reginald’s remind us that this is less about duplication and more about decoding belonging in real cultural terms.

Coincidence or creative convergence, both have tapped the same universal truth: if you can make something our thing, you’ve already won.