'Oooft': Leith brings Tennent's back north of the border

The Leith Agency – now known simply as Leith – has fought off all-comers to land the Tennent’s Lager advertising and marketing account, providing further proof that you should never bet against a Scottish agency when it comes to quintessentially local brands, despite the odd hiccup.

AG Barr might have overturned the drinks trolley when it decided to take the Irn-Bru account down South to Lucky Generals, but Tennent’s owner C&C Group was never going to repeat that after it decided on an all-Scottish agency shortlist.

The appointment, which followed a competitive pitch process overseen by Ingenuity+, will see Leith handle the brand’s creative strategy, communication and consumer campaign delivery.

Leith worked with Tennent’s for 13 years, from 1997 until a conflict of interest forced them to resign the account in 2002; ironically, Lucky Generals handled the brand’s biggest marketing push to date in 2017.

C&C Group chief marketing officer Cara Chambers said: “We chose to invite agencies born in Scotland to participate in the Tennent’s pitch because of our firm belief in the strength of commercial creativity north of the border and we weren’t disappointed.

“Every agency in the process demonstrated true creative excellence, passion and love for the Tennent’s brand, but the collaborative energy and ideas from Leith won the day.”

The agency has already started work on the brief, with the first activity due to be launched in the new year. London-based John Doe will retain the PR and experiential business.

Leith group managing partner Richard Marsham commented: “Tennent’s coming back to Leith feels like an amazing homecoming.

“Leith have such a rich legacy of work on the brand from Caledonia through to the Red T campaign and we’re absolutely delighted that the Tennent’s team have entrusted us to help propel the brand forward in the next stage of its journey.”

Given agencies’ penchant for reverting to old straplines, Leith will have a few to choose from.

The brand has used several over the years, including the 2017 “Here to serve” and the 2023 slogan “Oooft”, designed to celebrate Scottish culture and the satisfying sensation of a cold, crisp lager.

Other straplines include “When you want lager ask for Tennent’s”, “When you get Tennent’s you get the best” and “Jabhi Khushi Tabhi Tennent’s” (meaning “When there’s happiness, it’s always Tennent’s”) from a 2003 Bollywood campaign.