Barr's taken upmarket
The Barr's Originals range of retro soft drinks is being re-launched as a more upmarket quencher to tap into the growth in premium adult soft drinks in pubs and bars.
Brand owner Barr's wants to boost sales of the drinks through the on-trade and has unveiled new glass packaging across the four-strong range, which consists of traditional flavours such as dandelion & burdock, ginger beer, lemonade and cream soda.
It will back the launch of the new bottles with an on-trade campaign and sampling roadshow this summer.
"Consumers are asking for more interesting soft drinks flavours," said head of marketing Adrian Troy. "There is a real opportunity for outlets to increase their range."
The new 330ml glass bottle will also be rolled out across Barr's Irn-Bru brand, currently only available in the on-trade in a 275ml format.
"In the brand's heartland of Scotland, the drink is referred to as Barr's Irn-Bru," said Troy. "These new bottles bring all the brands under one family umbrella."
Irn-Bru is also getting a marketing boost of £15m, as the company looks to grow the brand in England and Wales.
A new TV advertisement, to launch early next month, is the first one outside Scotland in four years.
It is designed to bring new drinkers to the brand by getting them to re-evaluate the drink's distinctive taste. It marks the start of a three-year programme to run south of the border.
"We wanted the new campaign to reflect the phenomenal qualities and appeal of the brand and is a return to the classic, maverick advertising that has brought the brand such iconic status over the years."
