Рекламный ролик Irn-Bru о футбольной сборной Шотландии выиграл премию Thinkboxes за креативность

Irn-Bru’s World Cup-themed commercial – a TV ad disguised as a music video promoting a football anthem based on the brand’s “Made in Scotland from girders” line – has won the May/June Thinkboxes award for TV advertising creativity. A joyous celebration of the resilience and maverick humour of Scotland’s football fans, the film, conceived and created by Lucky Generals and directed by Grandmas through Academy, puts Scottish celebrities centre stage alongside members of the Tartan Army. The storyline derives much humour from imagining fans preparing for and navigating travel in the Americas in the face of brutal late nights, eye-watering costs, impossible journeys and their team playing in a group containing global heavyweights. Other highlights include Susan Boyle singing atop the Forth Bridge before dropping back down to earth for some impressive breakdancing moves (with a little help from a stunt double). “The brief was to celebrate Scotland qualifying in a uniquely Irn-Bru way,” says Irn-Bru brand director Kenny Nicholson. “Rather than focusing on the football itself, we wanted to lift the spirits of the fans, the Tartan Army, by tapping into our brand platform of inner strength, humour and maverick bravery.” And building this with TV was a no-brainer. “Television is still one of the best ways to build the Irn-Bru brand as it gives us the opportunity to tell stories that make people laugh, create an emotional connection and become part of culture,” Nicholson adds. “For a moment like this summer of sport, it also gives us the scale to bring fans together and celebrate alongside them in a way only Irn-Bru can.” Creating a World Cup anthem was the foundational idea, according to Lucky Generals creative director Danny Hunt. Then came the idea of making it out of Irn-Bru’s “Made in Scotland from girders” line, which returned as a campaign platform for Irn-Bru last year – debuting in the “This is not a soft drink” spot, which won the Thinkbox award for TV ad creativity late last year. “[The line] is anthemic, it’s knowing and it’s a brand asset, making using it in this way one of the job’s easiest decisions,” he explains. Another key decision was to play it straight, treating the campaign like you would if you were releasing a real track. “This approach allowed us to show up in lots of different places where a normal TV commercial wouldn’t,” Hunt adds. “A music video was part of this framework.” Casting was an important consideration, as Hunt explains: “We wanted it to represent the whole of Scotland. So, we cast fans such as the Tartan Army, we street-cast people and we had a few actors, all Scottish. “The celebs were a mix of obviously famous ones, up-and-coming comedians and those in viral memes where if you know you know. We had a long list for each role and kept our fingers crossed. Our only rule was they needed to add to the joke.” Also important was working out how to strike an authentic cultural nerve while ensuring wider appeal to a non-Scots audience. And for Hunt, the answer was the gags. “The reason it appeals so broadly is that the humour is simple observations we can all relate to,” he says. “For instance, we all know what it’s like getting into America at the moment. What makes it Scottish is only Irn-Bru would let us smuggle the product inside someone.” Nicholson adds: “To find that balance, we set out to make it authentically Irn-Bru. We’ve always found when we’re true to our roots, the humour and optimism resonate far beyond Scotland, because the emotions are universal even if the references are uniquely Scottish.” One particular problem was time. “Nobody expected Scotland to qualify, including us,” Hunt readily admits. “So, this left us short on time, which was the biggest challenge, especially when you have such high ambitions for the work. Luckily, we had great production partners. “I’d worked with Grandmas before on a much smaller job and was impressed. They’re both lovely blokes, full of enthusiasm, lots of ideas and like to push the creative in a collaborative way. And they’re at Academy too, who I was confident could pull off what was an extremely ambitious shoot in no time, and on budget.” The end result generated widespread enthusiasm and media coverage while remaining resolutely on-brand. “What works best is that it feels unmistakably Irn-Bru, something no-one else would do,” Nicholson points out. “It brings together our heritage, humour and brand purpose in a way that celebrates the fans while giving new life to one of our most iconic assets. “We’ve created something people genuinely seem to enjoy, that has got the nation talking and that has cut-through among huge-spending brands. Our job is to lift the spirits of the nation, and if we’ve added to excitement around Scotland’s journey that’s a great result.” For Hunt, the PR coverage the campaign received beyond adland is a further source of pride: “When your mum sees your work on the BBC or it’s centre-page in the tabloids, that’s what you want for a brand.” Second in the May/June Thinkboxes was “Nobody does football better than us” by BBH London for Paddy Power. “Let’s get absolutely buttered” by Havas London for Anchor was third. Also shortlisted were “Be bold. Be meaty” by Fearless Union for Peperami and “The ‘Dad joke’ effect” for McCain by Adam & Eve\TBWA. THINKBOX MAY / JUNE WINNING AD Agency: Lucky Generals Creative team: Shelley Smoler, Danny Hunt, Flo Russell, Alex Robson Client: Kenny Nicholson, brand director Production company: Academy Director: Grandmas