BBDO Dublin have created two new spots for Barry’s Tea for the Gold Blend and Decaffeinated blends, ‘Love Letter to the Irish’ and ‘Mugs’.
Love letter to the Irish lives up to the rich creative legacy of the brand’s advertising history, albeit with a modern twist.
Whilst the spot is steeped in the familiar sentiments explored over the last 25 years of Barry’s Tea ads—family, friendship, distance and most importantly, moments of connection—it paints a picture of a newer, younger, changing Ireland.
In the past we have told stories of Irish people finding the feeling of home in faraway places through the ritual of a cup of Barry's. With this campaign, we flip that on its head and tell the story of a person who finds their new home in Ireland through that same ritual.
The ad reworks the brand’s traditional letter format, now inwardly reflective and focusing upon a modern, contemporary Ireland, celebrating Irishness through a different lens. This unique perspective is that of someone moving to Ireland from a faraway country, falling in love with the culture, quirks and customs of the Irish.
The new Gold Blend spot is joined by another for Barry’s Decaf tea, and in fact, both films focus upon the same two roommates in Dublin; Bruna, from Brazil, appreciative of all her new home country and everything its people have to offer, and Una, from Cork, reflective of the journey that has led to her new home in the city.
This is the first time Barry’s have advertised their Decaffeinated brand, and so required a classic ‘Barry’s’ spot that struck a chord with modern, contemporary millennials, achieved by Una relaying stories of relationships past and establishing confidence in her newly independent present.
Written by Isabel Harvey and Ivona Poljak and directed by Hadi for production company Butter, both spots are moving portraits of modern Ireland which stay true to the Barry’s Tea canon while asking the viewer to reconsider the brand and those moments of connection.
