British Icons: Irn-Bru
A soft drink as an icon? Absolutely. We know that tea is the national drink of Britain, followed closely by a friendly pint, but Irn-Bru is a popular drink in Scotland and the third best selling soda in the U.K. In fact, it’s so popular in Scotland, it gives Coca-cola a run for its money as the top-seller.
Irn-Bru was invented in Glasgow in 1901, and it’s famous for its bright orange color, which at one time was believed to be from the drink’s iron content. In actuality, the drink contains only .002% of iron along with a combination of 32 fruit flavors and real sugar. Originally called Iron Brew, a law in 1946 required that product names reflect their actual contents, so Iron Brew changed its name to Irn-Bru since the amount of iron was negligible and it was not actually brewed. But the name change certainly didn’t stop A.G. Barr, the current manufacturer, from using these misconceptions to its benefit. One of the most famous and popular marketing campaigns from Irn-Bru included the tag line “Made in Scotland from girders.” Irn-Bru is now as well known for its cheeky adverts as it is for the product itself so no wonder it has become so popular.
To watch some of Irn-Bru’s best adverts, visit their website. In the meantime, I’m posting the Christmas advert, which is a take off on one of my favorite children’s books, The Snowman. I think this commercial is hysterical and it features some famous Scottish icons that you’ve seen right here on this blog, like the Falkirk Wheel and the Forth Bridge.
