WIND, rain, grey skies … nothing keeps Scots from their soft drinks, especially if they are bright orange and made from girders.
AG Barr reported that the impulse soft drinks category performed better in Scotland than the the UK as a whole last summer, growing by 13% according to Nielsen Scantrack. That’s despite the fact that temperatures dropped, rainfall increased and there was less sunshine than the previous year.
Barr says Irn-Bru is the biggest “drink-now” brand in the country according to Nielsen. The firm is planning a six-week summer promotion, “Bru-Skies”, to lock in its market position.
Up for grabs are 5000 prizes, including up to £100 cash and thousands of pairs of branded sunglasses. The promotion will feature on regular and sugar-free lines, including 500ml and 2l bottles and multipacks of eight 330ml cans.
“Retailers should always be mindful of just how loyal Scottish consumers are to Scottish products, with 44% claiming to buy local products,” said Adrian Troy, AG Barr’s head of marketing. “Our consistent investment in Irn-Bru, led by summer promotions, has created a unique brand which is loved and trusted by Scottish consumers. That loyalty will be strengthened by this year’s Bru-Skies activity.”
Barr also expects another of its brands, the energy drink Rockstar, to see a summer surge. “Energy drink consumption is greater in the 16-24 years age group,” said Barr, quoting GB Omnibus figures.
“Brand image is a really important factor for these consumers. Association with extreme sports and music, plus vibrant packaging design attract consumers.”
Nielsen found flavoured energy to be the fastest growing energy drink type – growing by 85% across the last two years, and Rockstar has worked on its taste. Its latest innovation is Rockstar SuperSours. The new varieties, BubbleBurst and Green Apple, are intended to tap what Barr sees as growing consumer demand for sour flavours.
Images – Barr has an Irn-Bru promotion, called Bru-Skies, and two new sour flavours of Rockstar – designed to push summer sales.
