Scotland Win the World Cup (of Advertising)

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Scotland’s World Cup campaign has had the highs and lows the Tartan Army have come to expect. But they’re already taking home what’s surely the most prized trophy in World Cup advertising. This epic IRN-BRU commercial from agency Lucky Generals beat global giants Adidas, Nike and Coca-Cola to top System1’s World Cup Ad Rankings for 2026 with a maximum 5.9-Star Rating.

IRN-BRU’s ad stars the team’s talisman – and now World Cup goalscorer! – John McGinn amongst a host of Scottish celebrities from Susan Boyle to Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos, and several ordinary Tartan Army fans. They’ve come together for an ad that’s also a World Cup anthem for the team and their travelling fans, turning the brand’s old slogan into a rallying cry: “We’re Made In Scotland From Girders”

The ad keeps a consistent brand identity familiar from IRN-BRU ads of the past. In classic IRN-BRU style it’s extremely funny, with some wicked jabs at the experience that awaits Scottish fans in the US. There’s a colossal hot dog, an uncomfortable encounter with TSA, and a meeting with an eager American keen to swap stories of his own one-eighth Scottish heritage. In a two-minute ad the laughs keep on coming and it means the length isn’t an issue for viewers.

And it wouldn’t be an IRN-BRU ad without some edgy and surreal moments too – Susan Boyle breakdancing, and a man selling the family ‘dug’ to get tickets. IRN-BRU’s brand has been built on these kind of cheeky, unexpected moves – remember its Christmas classic “The Snowman” parody? They pay off here with our nationally representative Scotland sample giving the ad full marks (5.9-Stars) and a massive short-term Spike Rating too, in the top 1% of soft drinks ads.

Of course patriotism plays a part too, as we see in the Test Your Ad Pro results for “We’re Made In Scotland From Girders”. While the top type of happiness is definitely “Amused” there’s plenty of “Excited”, “Uplifted” and “Proud” in the mix too, all leading to an exceptional Emotional Intensity score, way over the category average. And in the Key Associations chart it’s “Scotland” that comes out on top.

The ad’s appeal isn’t only patriotic – it gets a very strong Star Rating for an all-UK sample too – but as the demographic results show it’s got the right mix of tongue-in-cheek and genuine pride to appeal to Scots of all ages and genders.

All of which makes it a worthy winner of our very own advertising Golden Boot, the most effective World Cup ad this year. It shows you don’t need superstar players and special effects to score at a World Cup. An ad with heart, humour and deep cultural and brand relevance can get the job done even better.