A campaign to boycott Tunnock’s over the removal of the lion rampant from its logo has backfired.
The Scottish Resistance called for a national boycott of Tunnock during a protest outside the firm’s Uddingston factory in January 2016 after it rebranded its classic snack as the ‘Great British Tea Cake’.
A video of a man smashing boxes of Tunnock's biscuits with a sledgehammer was also posted online.
However, the Lanarkshire company, which released a range of tea cake merchandise following the controversy, has revealed that, since being branded ‘traitors’ by cybernats, it has struggled to cope with demand and has sold hundreds of thousands more biscuits.
Fergus Loudon, operations director at Tunnock’s, told The Times: “It meant the Tunnock's name was being talked about all over the world and people are still talking about it. It prompted a lot of people to go out and buy tea cakes and has been fantastic for us in terms of sales. There was a definite spike. Our sales went up by at least 10 per cent.
"January is traditionally a quieter time for us, so this was a real boost.
"Sales are very, very strong. Our order book is full to overflowing."
Tunnock’s new advertising 'Great British Tea Cake' campaign was launched in the London Underground in January.
A campaign received a backlash on social media, with cybernats asking consumers to boycott caramel wafers, snowballs, caramel logs and tea cakes following the logo change.
The Scottish lion rampant had previously been the firm’s symbol since 1890.
Gary Elliot, an SNP member, tweeted: “Rebranding is one thing. What Tunnock’s did was a brazen rejection of Scotland.”
Another tweeted: “Bye bye Tunnock’s. You know where you can show your tea cakes.”
A spokesperson for Tunnock said that the firm is proud to be Scottish and had not meant to cause offence with its logo change.
The spokesperson added: "Sadly, some people got hold of the wrong end of the stick. The lion rampant is still on our boxes and will always remain there.
"We sent out hundreds and hundreds of emails reassuring people that our tea cakes were not being rebranded. However, at the end of the day, it's all been good for us."
The row also caught the attention of celebrities and politicians who voiced their opinions on Twitter.
Former Better Together campaign director Blair McDougall tweeted: "If a tea cake, a TEA CAKE, results in such an outpouring of hatred from you, it's maybe time to re-evaluate your life and your politics."
The SNP's Alasdair Stephen tweeted: "The attempted boycott of Tunnock's is toe-curling. A Scottish business expanding its markets should be supported."
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