AG Barr has launched a £6m investment in Irn-Bru, which will see a new pack design as well as a UK-wide advertising campaign.

From April, the Scottish soft-drink will sport an eye-catching new pack design featuring the brand’s iconic symbol, the girder, while Irn-Bru’s original strongman Adam Brown will also feature on the pack in miniature form, drawing attention to the brand’s history.

Adrian Troy, AG Barr’s head of marketing, said: “We’re backing the rollout of the new pack designs, which retain the instantly recognisable Irn-Bru orange and blue colours, with our biggest ever marketing campaign to drive shopper awareness and demand to new levels.”

Irn-Bru is also targeting growth in the UK’s £251m flavoured carbonate impulse category with its latest marketing campaign and will extend to a partnership with the Football League and the Scottish Professional Football League.

AG Barr will be investing heavily in its Football League partnership. The brand says football fans have voted Irn-Bru the number one brand partner associated with The Football League during its first year.

“Our three year game plan is for Irn-Bru to become footfall fans’ favourite soft drink and we’re going to do this by bringing the brand’s unique personality to the game and its fans,” said Troy.

“In addition to activity with this year’s Football League play offs during May, including ticket competitions, extensive sampling and limited edition football packs, we’ll be generating national awareness over the next two years through high profile brand support within walking distance of thousands of independent retailers, connecting with football fans who shop at their ‘local’ stores week in, week out.”

Irn-Bru has already established a strong foothold in England with a 56% increase in shopper spend on the brand in England and Wales. AG Barr is advising the importance of offering shoppers sugar-free Irn-Bru to retailers and found low calorie drinkers consume 33% more than people who drink regular soft drinks.