Only If

On Tuesday the 6th of May, I went along to The Leith Agency’s launch of A.G. Barr’s new Irn Bru Ad. For those of you who may not know, Irn Bru is the cult soft drink of Scotland. They are given it in their first bottles as wee lads & lassies and are hooked.

I kid, of course, but the people here absolutely LOVE IT. My Mom likes it too. Frankly, I think it tastes like bubble gum, but it’s orange. Also, there is a soft drink, in Texas at least, not sure if you get it anywhere else, called Big Red. To me, Irn Bru tastes just like Big Red, except –can you guess- Big Red is, well, Red.

So back to Advertising. Irn Bru has always been known for its “Mavrick” advertising – they use this word in their briefs, they use this word in their PR statements and interviews, it’s pretty much synonymous with Irn Bru and marketing. Their ads have been known to appall, shock, make you pee yourself and of course, get banned.

On to the newest ad: “If” – a Poem by an English bloke that everyone knows (apart from myself) Rudyard Kipling, adapted by A senior creative team and Gerry Farrell himself and the end result is a celebration of being Scottish and a celebration of all those who drink Irn Bru.

You be your own judge. It’s very different from everything Irn Bru has ever done. Can it Britain wide – doubtful, even thought they are trying to move into the rest of the UK. Sure they’ll get it, but not sure how well a celebration of being Scottish will go over in England, but I’m sure they wouldn’t mind having a laugh at the Scots expense.

The reviews from others have been widely varied I must say. My husband loves it. My best mate, not so much. Both Irn Bru drinkers & Irn Bru ad fans. Ones in Advertising, one isn’t, does that make the difference?

Some goodies from the event:

A photobook of the ad with the poem inside. A usb with the ad on it. Popcorn. Irn bru.