IRN-BRU’s 'Made in Scotland from Girders' Revival Celebrates Heritage with Modern Bravery

“This is not a soft drink. This is telling your boss their jokes aren’t funny. This is running into the freezing cold sea, in just your granny pants. It’s showing how you feel. No guts, no glory, showing the world who you truly are… No, no, no, pal this is IRN-BRU…and it's Made in Scotland from Girders.”

The classic line is back. But in its new incarnation in Lucky Generals’ first work for the drink, being made from girders is not about having iron in your veins, but iron in your heart as well. Being less about physical strength and more about finding something deeper.

As the brand drives its most significant investment outside of Scotland to date, with media planning by the7stars and earned media and cultural partnerships by John Doe, the campaign also launches a new long-term platform for IRN-BRU. This new ‘Made in Scotland from Girders’ platform is designed to celebrate the drink’s unmistakable Scottish spirit and be respectful to its heritage while giving it fresh relevance for a new generation. At the heart of the work is a powerful repositioning. IRN-BRU isn’t a soft drink — it’s a brave drink.

This is about reframing strength not just as brawn, but as bravery, individuality and guts: "This is flying too close to the sun, with ginger hair, in a heat wave”, as the ad's main character eulogised. It is about strength of character and the courage to be different. The line that once stood for iron in the veins now speaks to something more maverick, more human, and more emotionally resonant — all while keeping that edgy IRN-BRU humour intact.

The TV spot (you can watch it here) features a quietly defiant boy in a corner shop in Glasgow (manned by none other than returning IRN-BRU star, Sanjeev Kholi). After taking umbrage with the fact that IRN-BRU is labelled a soft drink, he gives a stirring and impassioned monologue on what IRN-BRU actually stands for in the modern world.
Street-cast and brimming with understated confidence, he delivers a manifesto for the masses and everyday rebels alike — ending with the triumphant assertion that “this is not a soft drink”.

Shot across BVOD, SVOD, Cinema and Social, the film will be supported by striking OOH, including a hero execution of the boy sitting on a steel girder high above Glasgow, an homage to the famous 'Lunch Atop A Skyscaper' photo and visual echo of the drink’s industrial roots and a nod to the steel it puts in your soul.

​Kenny Nicholson, brand director for IRN-BRU, said, “We wanted to do something that respected and celebrated our brand’s heritage, while moving it forward in a meaningful way. ‘Made in Scotland from Girders’ is one of the most iconic lines in advertising, and this campaign brings it back with all the personality of the IRN-BRU of yesterday — and the brave spirit of tomorrow.”

​Shelley Smoler, chief creative officer at Lucky Generals, said, “This is not a soft drink. It’s a ‘heritage-built-on-girders-and-a-client-brave-enough-to-bring-it-back’ drink.”

​Danny Hunt, creative director at Lucky Generals, said, “Having a Dad who is also 'Made in Scotland from Girders' has meant there was a lot of pressure on this account right from the pitch. Fortunately, he approves of the idea (thanks Gaz) and will no longer be wearing any pants as a mark of respect.”

​Matt Jackson, digital lead at the7stars, said, "With bravery at the heart of Irn-Bru’s new creative platform, our media strategy puts the brand in bold, unmissable moments – from blockbuster cinema and Edinburgh’s biggest OOH site to premium digital and social environments – delivering the fame and cultural cut-through to match the creative, and signalling Irn-Bru’s biggest investment push beyond Scotland to date."