‘Oooft’ is an expression used uniquely and generously north of the border to communicate notable or surprising things. Such ‘Oooft’ is at the heart of a new campaign from Tennent’s Lager created by John Doe which plays on the popular Scottish expression to solidify the brand’s ‘Raised in Scotland’ positioning. 

The campaign combines a TV spot, out of home advertising, partnerships and social content to make it the biggest marketing drive for Tennent’s Lager in over eight years. Celebrating the uniqueness, playfulness and Scottish heritage of the brand, the campaign centers around the word ‘Oooft’ to bring to life the country’s trademark humour.

The TV spot showcases a range of ‘Oooft’ scenarios, beginning with a friend showing up to the pub to show off his new mullet hair cut as his friends react with a somewhat bemused but rather impressed “Oooft. Other ‘Oooft’ scenarios feature cameos from Scottish sporting figures including football legend, James McFadden and Rachel Malcolm, the women’s rugby national team captain who gets tackled by another player resulting in quite a nasty ‘Oooft.’ 

The campaign film ends with a return to the pub, where the new proud owner of a mullet and his pals all agree on one thing - the delicious OOOFT that only Tennent’s Lager brings as the ‘Fresh Taste that’s Raised in Scotland’. The TV spot is set to the iconic upbeat soundtrack, ‘Shout’ by Lulu

“‘Oooft’ is a word that’s used for pretty much everything in Scotland. So, we thought we’d have some fun with it,” explained Paul Menzies, C&C’s Brand and Marketing Director (Beer). He continued: “Amongst the wide variety of ‘Ooofts’ that exist here - from cracking goals to questionable fashion choices - we wanted to show that Tennent’s offers the very best OOOFT possible and one that’s uniquely ours.”

Supporting the hero film is a range of creative outdoor work, which has also been created with the help of John Doe. The creative has been displayed up and down the UK and is made up of eye-catching typography-led ‘Ooofts’. The creative typography is positioned alongside photography that heroes the liquid and the can. In one iteration bubbles and condensation form within the image to create the letters OOOF, with the word finished by the famous red T of Tennent’s.

“If you’re not from Scotland, it’s difficult to appreciate the significance of Tennent’s as a brand, culturally and creatively,” added Pam Scobbie, CCO and Co-Founder of the John Doe Group. This campaign, which is the first from John Doe for the brand, aims to solidify the brand’s new positioning, alongside a newly developed Raised in Scotland brand platform.

Centring around a well-known but quintessentially Scottish phrase, the playful campaign gives an appreciative nod to Scottish culture and connects the brand firmly to its heritage in the minds of consumers through the power of humour and fun.