Tunnock’s drop iconic lion branding to be more ‘British’

Scottish biscuit maker Tunnock’s has dropped its iconic lion from branding south of the Border and declared their products “British”.

Advertising launched in England has made the design change to “Tunnock’s Great British Teacake”, scrapping the Lion Rampant.

The teacakes, which gained worldwide fame when dancers dressed in confectionary costumes took part in the 2014 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, features on a cake stand in new adverts bearing the slogan “The Great British Teacake”.

Tunnock’s managing director Boyd Tunnock said: “It was the idea of my son-in-law, Fergus Loudon, who is the sales manager and looks after advertising.

“You’ve got the Great British Bake Off and things like that these days.

“We could have said Scottish but you’re then promoting Scotland. We’re British.”

Mr Tunnock, 82, campaigned for a No vote during the independence referendum.

He said: “The vote said we’re British. We’re Scottish, however we’re still in Britain.

“Down south, people wouldn’t know it as Scottish. We’ve had caramel wafers advertised on the London Underground but I think that was the first time for teacakes.”

Tunnock’s featured prominently in the Commonwealth Games and Mr Tunnock said the exposure had helped drive sales in 2014. Profits jumped 17 per cent to £7.9 million in the year to February 2015.

He added: “The Commonwealth Games did us a good turn because they took our brand. They asked if they could use it. We didn’t pay any money but we got a great lift from it. However, if your product is not right, you won’t sell it.”

The firm was founded in 1890 and now employs more than 500 people, producing more than 10 million biscuits each year.

Mr Tunnock said the company was unlikely to change its branding in Scotland.

“We probably wouldn’t,” he said. “We’d just say teacakes. But we could probably call it the Great World Teacake as we sell them abroad as well, in places like Australia and Canada.

“And we’ve just started to sell them in Germany.”

Mr Tunnock, who retired at 65 but still goes to work at 6am, said he was proud of the firm’s Scottish heritage. He added: “I’m still just 100 yards from where my great-grandfather was born. He was a coffin maker and knew the power of advertising way back in the 1850s.

“He had an advert as you came into Uddingston that said, ‘Why live a miserable life when for 30 bob you can be buried comfortably?’”

Reaction to the rebranding south of the Border was mixed on social media yesterday.

And Patty Snoke wrote: “So record sales thanks to Glasgow games causes them to rebrand as best of Britain? You’ve lost this customer.”

But Gregor said: “It’s quite simply marketing. Tunnock’s will sell better with the rebrand.”

Celebrity fans of teacakes include Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Howard Donald from Take That and Amy Macdonald, who said she would have dressed as a teacake so she could perform at the Games.