IRN-BRU’s '#WeCan' Scores Big for Euro 2024

Despite the fact that Scotland didn’t make it past the group stage, one clear winner emerging from this tournament was Scotland’s favourite soft drink IRN-BRU.

A trio of humour-laden ads from Leith delved into the Scottish psyche to focus on something strange to the nation, something not seen for a long time in Scotland, something called... Optimism! Delivering on IRN-BRU's trademark irreverence and wit, each ad (directed by Seb Cardinal) cunningly combined cultural stereotypes, national pride, and a sprinkling of cheeky, roguish humour. It started with the first diagnosis at the 'Doctor’s', followed by a good old gossip in 'Café' about new ‘cases’ spreading, and finished with a full-blown 'Mannschaft' (German for Football Team) ready to take on anything.

The media was crafted by the7stars with the trio of ads running consecutively ahead of the tournament, featuring on social media, OOH, TV and video on demand, where they appeared alongside popular shows such as Gogglebox, Soccer Aid and the final of Britain's Got Talent. When Scotland was set to take on hosts Germany in the opening game of the tournament, a tactical UK-wide spot saw the final of the three ads, ‘Mannschaft’, reach 4.8m people just ahead of kick-off. Special edition #WeCan - branded IRN-BRU cans were also showcased, available across the UK.

The results of #WeCan’s success are in! System1’s ad measurement platform, gave 'Doctor’s' an exceptional five-stars rating for brand salience and emotional response, whilst Kantar, the market research agency, noted that 56% of consumers said that ‘Mannschaft’ increased their excitement for the sporting event and 43% agreed it makes them more likely to watch it.

When tested on LinkAI, the ad scored in the top 1% for both distinctiveness and humour and ranked in the top 8% for watchability. In an interview with The Drum, Mary Lumley, client manager at Kantar said, “IRN-BRU excels in consistent cross-channel media campaigns, with successful digital ads that seamlessly integrate with other media channels and are expertly adapted for online platforms. The spots dial up the emotion and grab attention from the start.”