AG Barr reveals plans to advertise Irn-Bru south of the border
AG Barr has revealed plans to start TV advertising south of the border, starting with its controversial ‘Fanny’ ad in northern England.
The marketing push follows AG Barr’s proposed merger with Tango and 7up manufacturer Britvic and a healthy 4.3 per cent boost in underlying pre-tax profit for last year.
AG Barr chief executive Roger White confirmed that the ‘Irn Bru gets you through’ campaign is set to be broadcast in the “Nely regions of north-east England, Lancashire and Yorkshire”.
White added: “We remain a strong-performing business in Scotland, growing ahead of the market and hopefully cementing our position with customers. But our drive to grow our brands in England and Wales is continuing to work well. Irn-Bru continues to grow steadily and consistently.”
According the figures from the last financial year over half (57 per cent) of Cumbernauld-based AG Barr’s sales came from England and Wales, bolstered by the sponsorship deal with rugby league, Scottish sales accounted for 41 per cent and exports the remainder.
Year-on-year sales of AG Barr’s brands in Scotland were ahead of the market at four per cent up, a seven per cent increase in supermarket sales helped salvage a three per cent fall in on-trade sales. In England and Wales AG Barr sales increased 11.8 per cent with sales in all areas experiencing growth.
The drinks manufacturer now has a 22.3 per cent share of the Scottish market and a 2.9 per cent share in England and Wales, something which White takes as a good indication of things to come south of the border.
The ad (shown above) is now expected to air in the coming weeks.