‘This Is Not a Soft Drink’: Behind Lucky Generals’ Update of IRN-BRU’s Brave Spirit

IRN-BRU isn’t like other drinks.

The national non-alcoholic beverage of Scotland, its popularity makes its home nation one of only a handful (including North Korea and Cuba) where a Coca-Cola-owned drink is not the most popular.

It tastes of iron, because, as the slogan written for it in 1984 asserted, it’s ‘Made in Scotland from Girders’.

Now Lucky Generals has opened a new chapter for the AG Barr Group brand, with its debut campaign for the iconic Scottish drink – after decades of creative stewardship at the Leith Agency – by reviving one of advertising’s most famous lines.

In a film that nods to beloved Scottish sitcom ‘Still Game’ (helped along by Sanjeev Kohli’s return behind the corner shop counter) the new campaign is powered by the gutsy performance of a street-cast young star, giving a rousing yet hilarious speech about bravery.

But this isn’t just nostalgia. The work marks IRN-BRU’s biggest investment outside Scotland to date, with media strategy by the7stars and earned media and cultural partnerships from John Doe. It launches a new long-term ‘Made in Scotland from Girders’ platform, reframing the line from iron in your veins to iron in your heart – less about physical strength, more about bravery, individuality and guts. Delivered across TV, cinema, BVOD, SVOD, social, OOH and retail, it’s a fully integrated campaign that makes one bold point: this is not a soft drink. (Indeed, speak to our Scottish editor-in-chief Laura Swinton Gupta and she will insist that it is, in fact, ‘juice’.)

LBB’s Alex Reeves asked Lucky Generals creative director Danny Hunt about the gravity – and the levity – of this creative project.

LBB> What responsibility did you feel taking on a brand that’s so entwined with Scottish identity?

Danny> It’s a huge responsibility and privilege to work on such an iconic brand, with a history of great work like IRN-BRU. To add to that, having a Scottish dad I know exactly what BRU means to the people of Scotland. So, messing this up was never an option as it would make Christmas in our household a very awkward time.

LBB> The line ‘Made in Scotland from Girders’ is one of the most iconic in UK advertising. How did you decide to reinterpret it for a new generation?

Danny> You’re absolutely right. ‘Made in Scotland from Girders’ is iconic. A classic. But it used to be about physical strength. So, our mission was all about giving it new meaning for a new generation. And that’s where the idea of bravery came in.

LBB> How did you make sure the campaign felt authentically Scottish, while still universal enough to travel beyond Scotland?

Danny> Well, that's all down to the idea. Bravery is a quality we all admire, no matter where you’re from. It’s also a quality we associate with Scotland. You can almost see the Venn diagram, right?

LBB> The boy in the Glasgow corner shop delivers the manifesto with such understated confidence. How did you cast him?

Danny> We’ve got our director Elliot Power to thank for that. I think he must have looked at every ginger haired boy in Scotland. Half were trained, the other half street-cast. And that's where he found Davis. I mean he’s not an actor; he’s a kid. And being a kid that’s never acted before meant he was incredibly raw. But that rawness and honesty is the beauty of his performance. And that carries the whole spot.

LBB> IRN-BRU has always had a sharp, mischievous sense of humour. How did you balance bringing that edge back with the deeper, more emotional repositioning around bravery?

Danny> Bravery can get very worthy, very easily so it was all about finding the right examples of BRU bravery, casting somebody with the right mischievous edge to deliver it, then undercutting everything you’ve just heard and bringing it all down to earth. Which is what the Granny’s lack of underwear does nicely.

LBB> The OOH homage to ‘Lunch atop a Skyscraper’ ties the industrial roots back to modern identity. How did that concept develop?

Danny> It’s exactly that. We shot on film in David Stewart’s studio, using a stock backdrop that we projected behind the boy, as he sat on the girder drinking a BRU.

LBB> How much of this campaign is about nostalgia, and how much is about future-proofing the brand?

Danny> The line is obviously nostalgic to those who remember it. But I think the nostalgia stops there. MISFG has gone from being about pure strength to an idea about the strength and the bravery within us all. Which is a much bigger, more modern thought.

LBB> This is IRN-BRU’s biggest investment outside Scotland to date. How did that ambition shape your creative choices?

Danny> Creatively we wanted something that felt big, like a launch moment. We’re not just relaunching a line to Scotland. We’re also introducing IRN-BRU to a UK audience who might not know what it’s about. That’s why ‘This is not a soft drink’ felt right. It was a way to unpack what ‘Made in Scotland from Girders’ means to a younger audience. And at the same time pulling this uniquely Scottish drink away from all the other soft drinks on the shelf. Standing alone, where it should be, in a category of one.

LBB> What's your favourite detail about the campaign?

Danny>Tough one. There’s loads I like, obviously. The granny not wearing any pants. Kissing his non-existent biceps (thanks Kenny). I’ve a soft spot for the egg sandwich gag too. It took Gaz and I far too many hours of purposefully shitty gags to get to that. Which is weird as we’re normally good at a shit gag. But I think the best bit must be the opening. ‘Soft drink? This is not a soft drink’. A great opening to an ad, delivered like only IRN-BRU could.