Irn-Bru Campaign Existing Product Research

Bekki Asquith

Irn-Bru existing adverts

These three adverts all come from the same Irn-Bru campaign.

Colour scheme: The main colour used in these adverts is orange. This is because anybody who knows Irn-Bru as a product will know that this is the colour that it is associated with. The other colour used significantly for the text is blue. This is another colour that is associated with the product itself – it is used on the packaging. There are no bright or significant colours used in the images, seeing as they are taken in black and white and are greyscale. The shade of orange that is used is quite bright and eye-catching to a point where it cannot be ignored. Also the blue that is used contrasts well on the orange background and is eye-catching again, making people want to read.

Content: I think that the images are black and white to represent the time period that Irn-Bru was made in. They look like they have been taken in a different time period e.g. the 1900s. Given that the product was introduced in the year 1901, I would say that the images are trying to look like the time when the drink was introduced. The images are used with the text; they compliment each other. There is a sexual innuendo in the text that is used that has one meaning, and people think they know exactly what the copy is talking about. However, when they look at the photograph, they will see that the copy actually has two meanings and the non-sexual one is being represented in the image. The font that is used for the text is all upper case and clear to read which works in the advert’s favour. The fact that it is all in capitals makes it seem like it is important and also factual. There is a small image of the packaging of the product and how it looks so that people know what to buy if the advert has had an impact on them.

Audience: It is not very clear from these adverts who the particular target audience is. However, we can grasp from the sexual innuendos and the language used that these adverts would be targeted towards young people, maybe from late teens to early 30s. I do not think that people of an older age would appreciate the jocular language that is used in these adverts.

Overall Design: The overall design of these adverts is quite plain and simple. The advert space is cut in half; half is an image and half in a colour block with writing on it. Having a simple layout and design keeps the advert focussed and people know what they are getting. Having a simple, to-the-point advert will make people believe that Irn-Bru is a great drink that everybody loves. This makes people believe that they definitely have to try it because they might love it too, like these adverts lead them to believe.

• Style: The style of these advertisements for Irn-Bru are very simple and to the point. They also use a innuendo in the copy that is used. Using an innuendo or a pun is a good way to interest people in the product, this is because the more entertained somebody is by an advertising poster, the more they will want to look at it, and therefore the poster will take effect. This kind of style is recognised by people to be associated with Irn-Bru as a lot of their advertisements, paper and film based contain this comedic style.

These 3 adverts are all from an advertising campaign for Diet Irn-Bru.

Colour scheme: The colour scheme used here keeps with the blue and the orange that is used in the text, which are recognisable colours with regards to Irn-Bru. Keeping to the same colour scheme as the features of the product packaging itself and the same as other adverts means that this will be recognisable to people and they it would maybe seem familiar to them as an Irn-Bru product.

Content: The images that are used here are representative of the idea that the manufacturers of Irn-Bru are trying to get into the consumer’s head; The idea that the Diet Irn-Bru is exactly the same with regards to taste etc. but is free from sugar and is actually better for you. It is a common thought of the consumers of fizzy drinks that the sugar free version tastes worse and is never as good, so here the company are trying to oppose this thought. The images that are used are funny and this will draw people’s attention to them. If something is entertaining then people are more likely to take notice of it and pay attention to it. The two photographs that are on the adverts are exactly the same except that it says ‘sugar free’ somewhere in the second image. This is a mirror of the product, saying that the two drinks are exactly the same but one has no sugar.

Audience: I think that the audience for these adverts will be young people especially body concious females, of the ages late teens to late 40s. At this point in a woman’s life, they are very concious of their bodies and try to stay healthy with the things that they eat and drink. The fact that this Irn-Bru is sugar free will mean that it is better for you than the original one. In this day and age people are wanting to be as good to their bodies as possible so they will be interested in this.

Overall Design: The overall design of these adverts are again, very simple. There are just two images that focus mainly on one thing in each of them so that they are not overpowered. There is a small comment/tagline underneath that very briefly describes the product. There is also a small heading at the top ‘ spot the difference’. The minimal text will attract more people to the adverts because people do not like to read a lot of text at one time, especially on something such as an advert that is only made for one sole purpose; to sell the product.

Style: These advertisements also use the comedic nature and element of fun that people know the Irn-Bru product and brand well for. It makes people more interested in the brand. This poster makes the advert itself look like an activity that people will want to take part in. Most advert just feel information, this is introducing a fun element that makes it seem more and more like entertainment.

Colour Scheme: The background of this image is a blue sky. This is relevant for the Irn-Bru product because the two colours that are associated with the product are blue and orange. There is an orange border around the edge of the advert/photograph. The colours that are used here are used because they are associated with the brand and the product but also I think because they are bright, eye-catching and contrast well together. There four people in the image are dressed in black, this contrasts with the bright colours also because black is a very dark colour.

Content: This advert contains 4 people dressed like goths. Goths are known first and foremost for being miserable and dull. However, this advert shows the irony that they ‘feel phenomenal’ as the tag line states. The background is of a blue sky. A blue sky is associated with a good day weather-wise. Most people are in a good mood when the weather is sunny and they feel better than they would if it was raining for example. They would feel good. Also, each of the four people in the advert look happy and they are jumping. This means they feel good. The tagline ‘Feel phenomenal’ is an exaggeration of how these people may be feeling and how the things in the advert would make you feel. But the company is trying to make the consumer believe that their product will make you ‘feel phenomenal’.

Audience: I would say that the target audience of this advert is younger people such as teenagers and young adults, up to about late 20s. This is because fizzy drinks are in general, bought and consumed more by people of this age rather than older people. The goths are of this age, so this is appealing to the audience because they will see themselves like them in that way.

Overall Design: The overall design of the advert is simple. It is just the one image with a clear background, a border, a picture of the product and a tagline. The advert has not been overpowered because then the message could get misconstrued and lost. The message here is simple, buy Irn-Bru because it will make you feel good.

Style: The style of this poster is very simple which I think makes it effective. It sends out all signs of feeling good/phenomenal. Every element of the poster contribute to this: the blue sky, the happy people jumping and the words that are used in the copy.

This is an advert for Fiery Irn-Bru.

Colour Scheme: This poster contains 3 main colours: white, black and orange. Orange is one of the main colours of the product Irn-Bru. On each of the other adverts that I have looked at, there has also been a significant use of the colour blue because orange and blue because these are the two main colours of the original product Irn-Bru. This is the Irn-Bru brand recognition. However on this type of Irn-Bru, the packaging doesn’t contain the blue colour, it is replaced by black. So the advert fits in well because it is using the same colours as the packaging.

Content: This poster is very simple, there is an image of the Fiery Irn-Bru can, text and a black background. It is simple so that there is no attention taken away from the product. The top left corner shows something that looks a lot like a fire burn on paper. Next to the burn are the words ‘me it’s hot!’ This tells us that there has been a word such as a swear word that people sometimes use in times of shock, and this is what was burned out. This carries on the jokey and comedic style that Irn-Bru have with all of their adverts. The fact that this advert states that this type of Irn-Bru is limited edition will make people want to buy it more because it is not the usual type of the product and there is no indiciation of how long it will be around for, so they must buy it and try it before it runs out and disappears.

Audience: I think that the audience for this type of product is most likely male. I think this because of the colours used here in this advert; black is considered a more manly colour. Also, swearing and cursing is often more associated with men that women. Also, the whole idea of this product seems like a challenge, because it burns your mouth and some people may not be able to finish it, this fuels males more than females to try and see if they can finish a can and taste how how this drink really is on your mouth.

Overall Design: The overall design of this advert is very simple, like I said before. This is the same with all Irn-Bru adverts, there is nothing confusing or anything involving crazy special effects that could steer people away from thinking about this product.

Style: There is still a very joking, comedic and fun style about this advert, much like all of the others that I have looked at. The words ‘Watch your mouth’ seems like an order. This makes the style and tone of the poster seem commanding. It is also like the poster is ‘daring’ you to try it; having a quote about the drink stating how hot it is and then underneath, a warning.

This is the drinks can design for Irn-Bru 32.

Logo: The logo for Irn-Bru is centred in the middle of the can going vertically upwards. There is also a ‘32’ in orange placed at the at the bottom, underneath the well known ‘Irn-Bru’ logo. The ‘32’ that is on the can is in orange and it looks to have something coming out of it, maybe a ray of light. Maybe this is representative of the energy that this drink will give you. The tagline underneath the logo ‘great tasting stimulation’ is in lower case writing. This makes it informal and friendly like Irn-Bru adverts, this is a continuous style through all of the adverts.

Colour: The main colours of this Irn-Bru 32 can are blue, white and orange. These are traditional colours that have been used throughout the Irn-bru range e.g. the original Irn-Bru, Diet Irn-Bru and Fiery Irn-Bru. However, none of the other cans have involved the use of the colour blue so much. The colour blue could have been used more on this packaging to distinguish that it is different from the other Irn-Bru drinks but without changing the whole colour scheme and brand recognition. For example, Diet Irn-Bru is more white/silver than any other colour. The blue and white colours that have been used consistently throughout the Irn-Bru range are representative of the Scottish flag.

Overall Look: The overall look of this can is very simple, just like the advertisements for Irn-Bru. I think that the whole style of Irn-Bru is to keep the packaging and the adverts classic and simple. It distinguishes itself from other Irn-Bru product cans by it being more blue than any other colour and also having the ‘32’ in large writing that stands out. There is a stroke put in around the words ‘IRN-BRU’ in the middle of the can. This makes those words stand out well and shows that this is the brand name.

This poster is to advertise Monster Energy drink.

Colour scheme: There are only 3 colours used here in this poster; black, white and luminous green/yellow. These are the three colours that are used on the packaging and on the can. This shows that the poster is simply representative of the product itself. The colour of the actual drink inside of the can is yellow so this fits in well with the colours used here. The colour scheme of the features of the can is mirrored in the background of the poster.

Content: There are three cans of the Monster Energy drink lined up, with one in front of the other two. The fact that the poster only contains these three cans and nothing else, apart form a luminous green/yellow blur behind them, means that the audience will only focus on that. The Irn-Bru posters were very simple and centred just around the product and ‘bigging it up’ in a way. This is very much the same. The luminous coloured blur behind the cans is intriguing and it is not at all clear what it is meant to be or why it is there. We can only assume that it is an illusive effect for extra detail to the poster. The cans are reflected underneath them suggesting that they are placed on something. This is a nice bit of extra detail that is added to the poster.

Audience: This advert doesn’t really enable you to guess who the target audience is here. I can only guess that from the colours used and the overall tone of the poster that the main target gender would be male. This is because of the use of black and the overall dark tone of the poster. I would say that the age range of the target audience for this product from this poster would be young people; teens to late 20s. I say this because, older and more mature people will not be interested in bright, fluorescent colours and the overall feel of this poster. Younger people are most interested in bright, luminous colours because it symbolises partying and raves.

Overall Design: The overall design of this poster is very simple much like the other energy drink posters that I have analysed. The poster itself only focuses on the drinks can that is placed three time at the front in perfect view for the audience/consumer.

Style: The style of this poster is plain and simple. The whole tone of the poster emits some kind of mysteriousness due to the colours and the effect that is behind the cans. It makes people more intrigued to find out what this Monster Energy drink is all about, it makes people interested in the brand.

This is a poster to advertise Red Bull energy drink.

Colour Scheme: There is a blank white background and black writing used on this print advert. There is also a can of the Red Bull drink obviously using the signature blue, silver and red colours. Underneath there is a picture of a cartoon pink bull carrying the can of Red Bull. None of the colours that are used on the character specifically apply or are matched to the brand and its signature colours. The bold black writing on the white background is a way of showing contrast which brings attention to the advert.

Content: The fact that there is no real colour scheme here again echoes the idea that all of the adverts for energy drinks that I have looked at are simple and there isn’t much going on in them. They do not want to take any attention away from the drink itself and the promotion of the product. The recognisable slogan ‘Red Bull gives you wings’ is placed at the bottom of the poster. This is a recognisable line because people know this to be in association with Red Bull well from television adverts etc. The cartoon bull/cow on the advert creates a mascot or character that can be recognised by people who see the advert and possibly others which may include the character.

Audience: There is no clear audience aim from this advert. This advert could be aimed at anybody, I do not think that it is aimed at a particular age group or gender particularly. The cartoon character is made and included here to give a slightly childish element to the advert. It provides a fun and jocular feel to the advert. This would be appreciated more by younger adults and teenagers, of either gender. This could mean that this advert is aimed more at this kind of age group. However, the fact that the copy mentions work could indicate that the target audience is actually a bit older, at people who work in offices who have regular meetings, so somebody a bit more senior.

Overall Design: The overall design of this print advert is very plain and simple. This means that the advert is simply to promote the product and there are no other intended purposes. The text to image ratio is quite balanced considering the size of the image on the poster.

Style: The aesthetic qualities of the image on this advert are that the cartoon image looks drawn and has been made carefully to give a certain style to the advert. It makes it fun and slightly comedic which therefore attracts people to it. Elements like this make people want to take their time looking at or reading the advert, rather than just a boring advert where nobody would be interested. If this advert did not have the cartoon images and just the photograph of the Red Bull can then there would be no interesting element to it, it would be boring and it would have less of an effect on the audience.

This is a print advert for Mother energy drink.

Colour scheme: The main colour used in this advert is black. This echoes the colour of the actual Mother energy drink can. There are only three colours used here which are black, red and white. The colour black represents mystery, this will appeal to the audience and interest them. The black background is effective here because the can that uses the red and white colours, it stands out and catches attention. The same colours have been used on the poster as they are on the can. This promotes the brand recognition and will allow people to associate these three colours with the drink and the brand.

Content: This can shows a can connected to a metal chain. The can looks to be swinging from the metal chain, and there is water droplets or some kind of moisture/liquid coming away from the can in a splash motion. This shows motion and action. This could show that the drink represents energy and action.

Audience: The colours used in this advert indicate mainly that that it is aimed at a male audience. The colour black is mainly associated with masculinity rather than femininity. Also, the image contains a metal chain. This could also indicate that the advert is aimed more towards men. This is because metal represents more manual labour which men more typically do than women.

Overall Design: This print poster is very simple. It only contains the can, small detail such as the liquid splashes and the metal chain and also the copy in the top right hand corner. It is cleverly designed to focus only on the drink and the promotion of the product.

Style: The style and the tone of this print advert is to-the-point. It focuses only on promoting the drink, there are no other distractions on the poster; it is plain and simple to achieve its purpose. The fact that this is a new version of the drink is mentioned and promoted more than once on this poster; once on the can and once against the black background of the poster. This shows that it is obviously an important factor of this advertising product and the company want the audience to be aware of this. New version of old classic drinks normally sell very well when they are advertised well because people want to stick with their old, favourite drink but try something new and this is a way that they can do both.

Relentless Energy Drink Advert (Featuring Professor Green.) – Here to be Heard

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsz4hUzU5Jg

Colour scheme: The video varies between scenes of darkness with very dark colours and a few colourful lights to bring scenes in broad daylight with sunshine where every colour is emphasised and bright. Through a majority of the video as can be seen from the screen shots, the colour black is significant and is used a lot. Towards the middle of the video, the colour white is used more. Because of the storyline that the video carries, this is significant and representative. The story begins with a man trying to make his way in the music industry, he wears black and there is a lot of black in the video because this is proving hard for him and he is unlucky. As the story goes on, he begins to get somewhere with his music career and so there is more white involved. White is a sign of hope and light, a sign that things will get better, this is representative of his rise to fame. The Relentless can is shown in the advert a few times; it is black and white. These are the two significant colours in the video , this shows the brand recognition of Relentless.

Content: This video advert tells a story of a man who tries to get somewhere in the music industry, he then does and it shows him at the end signing on stage to people who are dancing to and enjoying his music. He crowd surfs and it shows his smiling. He has achieved what he wanted to. In between these clips are clips of Professor Green, a professional music artist, in a recording studio and at his concert. It also shows him drinking a can of Relentless. The fact that Professor Green has been used in this advert is effective because he started at the bottom like the other man in the video. Fans of his know this and so will see the connection. The fact that the advert is celebrity endorsed also makes it effective. There is music over the top of the video but just music, no words. There are a few spoken words over the top e.g. at the end ‘Here to be heard’. I think that there are no words in the music that they use so that the audience’s attention is not taken away from the visual aspect and what the video shows.

Audience: I think that the colour black is used here to attract males, this is because it is a more masculine colour; it will appeal more to men than women. The man in the video and Professor Green both seem to be of a similar age, late 20s-mid 30s. This means that the advert should appeal to people this age too seeing as they are used in it. I think that this advert could also appeal to younger people who are interested in music or who are aspiring to be something e.g. a music artist.

• Overall Design: The overall design of this advert is very specific to the brand recognition that Relentless already have. The logo is specifically in black and white and a lot of the can designs involve a dark black/grey colour. The design of the video advert is very simple and is in keeping with the logo and the style that the brand seem to have acquired through their previous advertising and product packaging. Throughout the video, the Relentless can is show a few times. It is only the original classic can design that is shown, this is a grey/black can with white detail. This echoes through the video that this is the style that the brand have chosen to use in this advert.

• Style: The Relentless brand stick to a very clear style throughout. They are simplistic. This is shown due to the colours that they have chosen to use and emphasise throughout the video and is shown also in the logo and packaging. The words that are spoken over the top of the advert ‘Inspiration is finding something beautiful that’s buried in the raw. A spark that lights up everything, just for a moment. We capture it and struggle with it until its ready to share. Pulling something from nothing. Energy and passion. We’re here to be heard. No half measures.’ These words, spoken by Professor Green, show the style that Relentless as a brand want to represent. It is also what the story that is shown through the video shows. They both echo each other.

This is the drinks can design of Monster energy drink.

Logo: The logo that is used is a letter ‘M’ that looks like it has been scratched out of something with claws or nails. This is relevant to the brand’s name, Monster. When you think of a monster, you think of a creature that looks nothing like a human and is not normal; it has abnormal features e.g. claws. It looks like a monster has created the letter ‘M’ with its claws. The colour of the letter ‘M’ is bright, florescent green. This can sometimes be seen as the colour of toxicity and something that is radioactive. Radioactive sources are said to have a lot of energy. This could be why the brand have chosen to use this as a colour for their logo.

Colour: The brand could have chosen this colour because it contrasts very well with the strong, black colour that is used as the can’s primary colour and the background for the logo. The colour of the energy drink that is actually inside this can is yellow/green coloured, so this kind of fits in well with that also. The colour white is also used on the can as another colour that contrasts well with black. All of the colours that are used here contrast well with each other so that the can is eye catching to the consumer. The colour black has been popular amongst the other energy drinks adverts that I have looked at. I think that the colour black is used with a wide variety of energy drinks and their advertising is because it is a colour that contrasts well with others and can be used to show the energy that has to be represented in this situation.

Overall Look: The overall look of this can is very simple, again, like many of the products for other energy drinks. There is not much going on, there is just the logo, the name of the drink and the slogan around the top of the can. I think that the brand have made the look of the can so simple so that when people purchase the drink, they know what they are getting. There is no messing around trying to make the drink look like something that it isn’t. It is shown that it is an energy drink by the colours that are used and contrasted and the copy that is on the can.