The AG Barr brand has retained its familiar orange and blue colours, but updated its silver 'molten man' motif. The revamp, by Blue Marlin Brand Design, will be rolled out from this month across all Irn-Bru bottles and cans, including its diet variants.
Blue Marlin was briefed to keep the drink instantly recognisable to avoid alienating its core market.
'Loyalists rave about its unique and indescribable taste, distinctive orange colour, iconic glass bottle and inherent Scottishness,' said Joady Horsley, AG Barr's group brand manager. 'The packaging design recognises and respects Irn-Bru's heritage and brand values and builds on its brand equities,' she added.
In the Scottish market, Irn-Bru is second only to Coke in the carbonated soft-drinks sector. In the UK, it is the fifth-biggest brand behind Coke, Pepsi, Fanta and Schweppes, with sales of £81m in 2006, up from £78m in 2003, according to Mintel.
However, the carbonates market as a whole is suffering as people turn to healthier alternatives, and Mintel has forecast that the market's volume sales will fall by 13% over the next four years.
Despite its band of loyal fanatics, Irn-Bru was ranked the 10th most-hated brand in the UK in a poll conducted by Joshua G2 for Marketing earlier this month (Marketing, 9 May).
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