‘Xenophobic’ Irn Bru ad investigated
An advert for canned drink Irn Bru featuring a Scottish man annoyed that his daughter is dating an Englishman has been reported to advertising authorities.
The ad, by Scottish-based drinks firm AG Barr, features the Scottish dad becoming increasingly annoyed at the ‘Englishness’ of the young man and only sipping from a can of Irn Bru can keep him calm.
In the ad the boyfriend first takes off his coat to reveal an England World Cup winning 1966 shirt before his bulldog, bedecked in a flag of St George, trots in and farts on a rug in the design of the Scottish flag.
Throughout the ad the dad is shown becoming angrier at each action before he sips the drink and returns to being calm.
The video, which has been viewed more than 1.2 million times, was posted on the company’s YouTube channel and currently has more than 840 comments with more recent posts claiming the advert is simply good fun and older comments questioning whether it’s a racist portrayal of both Scottish and English people.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has confirmed it’s investigating the ad, which AG Barr has defended as typical of its ‘cheeky’ approach to advertising.
Click here to watch the Irn Bru advert
