No we’re not talking about project manager Gerry, we’re talking about the office’s (and the nations) favourite soda pop – Irn Bru.
Scotland’s bond with Irn Bru has been going on for over 100 years now, it was first produced in 1901, and the nation has now developed a certain love affair with the orange fizzy blighter. Not only are we captivated by the fluorescent bubbles and its hangover curing properties, we also feel a certain national pride in the fact that it is ‘brewed’ and bottled in Scotland. Not only this but we are pretty happy to say that we are the only country in the world that does not have Coke as its number one fizzy beverage- yup Irn Bru takes first place. We love it so much we even campaigned to have McDonalds sell it in its restaurants.
As a company we all love Irn Bru; it is our helping hand when we are dying on a Sunday morning, it is guilty of staining our top lips on numerous occasions, and we love to reminisce of chewing (endlessly chewing) on Irn Bru bars as children. However, our greatest affection when it comes to all things Irn Bru related has to be its advertising.
The latest campaign television advert ‘It’s Phenomenal’ makes a playful dig at the current trend for high school musical films putting a bit of a Scottish slant to the American ‘sweet as pie’ portrayal of secondary education. This advert like so many before it, is again, to be another sure fire hit for the drinks manufacturer, how do they keep getting it right over and over? In our opinion it is because they have created a brand that a nation is proud of, in every Irn Bru campaign you cannot help but feel a teeny bit proud to be Scottish. The advertising and the brand are loud, brash, eccentric and very tongue in cheek, much like Scotland and all its inhabitants.
Aside from all the hilarious ads that we have all seen over the years there are two in particular that stand out in our opinion: the snowman Christmas advert and the If advert, see below to refresh your memory.
Both are brilliant in our opinion, and as sad as this may sound they invoke a certain swelling of national pride… national pride is a strong emotion and not something that is easy to conjure up in 30 – 60 seconds worth of television advertising time, yet Irn Bru do it time and time again.
They may have got us hook line and sinker with their hilarious and patriotic marketing and unique drink, but it is fair to say that there is a danger we Scots are wearing rose tinted glasses (or should that be blue tinted?!), how well will Irn Bru cope when it takes on the whole of the UK?
The company has just revealed plans to increase its marketing spend by 20% to roll out initiatives across England, in February they signed up to become the official soft drink sponsor of the Rugby Football League and they are now the broadcast sponsor of Sky Sports’ RFL coverage. This is the first nation wide campaign the company has done, looking at the Rugby league official Irn Bru website, Irn Bru Rugby, you can see certain elements of the brand repositioning itself to appeal to the sporting audience, there is still the same Irn Bru charm. On the rugby pitch Irn Bru will stand out as an unique and individual brand that still encapsulates the Scottish charm, and it is no secret that the rest of the world have a certain soft spot for all things Scottish, lets hope this love includes Irn Bru.
Tags: brand positioning, irn bru advertising, irn rbu, rugby league sponsors
