By Lutho Pasiya 
Aug 11, 2021
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Last week, something unusual caught the attention of South Africans – a video in which a Russian man reacts to a “focus group video” in which excited South Africans respond to the question: “So, how do you feel about eating Russians?”
In the video, which has gone viral, several South Africans engage in a candid discussion about their love for eating Russians.
To the average South African it is apparent that the people in question are referring to Russian sausages but, to an international audience, the question is grossly misconstrued and taken literally.
A Russian vlogger believes he’s looking at South Africans boasting about eating Russians. As you can expect, he goes crazy and tries to involve world leaders and the international media.
No one:
Absolutely no one:
Russians when they heard we refer to sausages as russians: #ILoveEatingRussians pic.twitter.com/x9BTSzfHno— Tee (@thini_booi) August 4, 2021
SA brand Eskort, which is responsible for the spoof that tickled the funny bone of so many, created a hilarious ad to celebrate the country’s love for the crispy sausage. The campaign will give voice and context to the ad that will see the misunderstanding come full circle as South Africans weigh in on the drama.
Group marketing manager Marcelle Pienaar said they asked themselves what would happen if anyone outside South Africa caught the tail end of the fact that South Africans eat Russians (sausages).
“Capturing this fictitious, widely shared misunderstanding was used to tickle South Africa’s funny bone by holding the mirror up for us to see what we often accept as common language or ideas, for what they really are, uniquely local.
“We, South Africans, have always had the ability to laugh at ourselves. It’s part of what makes us unique. As one of South Africa’s most-loved brands, enjoyed every day across this country by people and families from every walk of life, we love celebrating what connects us,” said Pienaar.
As SA’s best loved russian brand, we couldn’t help but create a hilarious campaign to celebrate our country’s love for the crispy sausage. 😂 It’s not just brilliant advertising, #ItsEskort. #ILoveEatingRussians Only in SA, we eat russians proudly. #ItsEskort, SA’s Best Loved. pic.twitter.com/yVRTl4kFzo
— Eskort Food (@EskortFood) August 10, 2021
The ad will air for the first time on screens on Wednesday, August 11, on e.tv between 7pm and 7.30pm and on SABC1 between 8pm and 8.30pm.