Phenomenal Symbolism!

Ten years ago, Irn Bru gave us the truly phenomenal "Snowman" ad. It really was, and is, great. Here it is:



So far, so good.

Of course, I have my issues with what's happened with Irn Bru this year, but there's no denying that the new "Snowman" ad is likewise extremely well done. And here that one is:



In particular, I really like the symbolism of it all.

Firstly, the original advert is ten years old, which means that the can of Irn Bru that gets stolen is from the old recipe. And, indeed "he nicked my Irn Bru and let go of my hand" is a pretty bang-on description of Barr's actions this year.

In which case, the can represents old Bru, the Snowman is A.G. Barr, and the boy is those of us who desperately want it back.

So far, so good. But wait, there's more!

Because the big winner in the advert is none other than Santa, who in the struggle manages to sneak off with the grand prize.

Note, though, that Santa is a big, jolly fellow wearing red.

But so what, I hear you cry. After all, Santa always wears red!

Aha! But here's the thing: waaay back, Santa used to be depicted in a whole host of different ways - tall or short, fat or thin, human or elfin, and in a variety of colours. The key thing that essentially settled us into the now-universal depiction of a fat, bearded, jovial man in bright red is another iconic advert.

For Coca Cola.

And so the ultimate symbolism of this fabulous new advert is that in the struggle for Irn Bru, the big winner are Coca Cola.

I tip my hat to the animators. Sterling work!

#56: "Whit", by Iain Banks