Expect a Doritos heatwave

Walkers Snacks will begin a £1m television advertising campaign this month to promote its launch of the new Extreme Chilli Heatwave flavour. The campaign will feature a new celebrity guest and striking new pack designs. As part of the promotion, established Doritos flavours will also be given a new twist with the arrival of "Even Cooler" Cool Original and "Even Cheesier" Tangy Cheese. The new flavours are a response to research by Walkers which identifies two main consumers of Doritos ­ young males who demand strong flavours in an easy convenient snack format, and 18 to 40 year olds who enjoy sharing milder flavours of Doritos Dippas and Dips in the evening. Walkers Trade Marketing manager Cath Painter explains: "Our recent research showed standard-bag consumers predominantly want bigger and stronger flavours in the traditional on-the-move size bag. Therefore, we have introduced a new Extreme Chilli Heatwave flavour that will target 12 to 20-year-old male consumers, as well as "Even Cooler" and "Even Cheesier" flavours in the 40g and 60g bag formats." She adds: "The new flavours have scored well in Walkers taste trials with over two thirds of people saying they would definitely or probably buy them. The Doritos range has seen massive growth since its launch in 1997. In the USA nearly half the population currently buy Doritos (44.5%) while in the UK penetration currently stands at 16.5%." Shake 'em with old favourite Retailers should brace themselves for a big shake up in crisp sales as Walkers has re-launched the Salt & Shake brand. Originally sold under the Smiths brand, Salt & Shake has been a sleeping giant in the Walkers portfolio ­ it is already bigger than Walkers Squares before its 2001 re-launch, which has since trebled in size. The unique Salt & Shake format, with its little blue sachet of salt, means you can flavour the crisps exactly the way you want by adding as much or as little as you like. The brand traditionally has been a big hit with an older audience. In fact, over 80% is bought by over 45s. Walkers hopes to capitalise on this even more as this sector of the population is set to grow by 13% over the next 10 years. Hot shots are real handy Walkers Shots is an exciting and revolutionary corn-snack concept that comes in a new tube packet which allows consumers to "drink" it one handed. The corn snacks come in two exciting new flavours ­ Banging BBQ and Nicely Spicely ­ and are aimed at one of the heaviest snacking groups, the 10 to 20-year-old males who enjoy fast snacking on the move. The revolutionary new tube packaging not only allows consumers to eat them one handed, but will also enable retailers to site and display the product directly in front of the customer ­ space that has been traditionally reserved for confectionery. Walkers trade marketing manager Nicky Seal says: "We know that more people eat and buy salty snacks than confectionery, and that 30% of salty snacks are bought on impulse. However, there is a huge opportunity to grow this as only 13% of shoppers see the crisps and snacks fixture due to its location in-store. Our space-efficient packs and counter top boxes will allow retailers to display them near the till point and capture a huge opportunity to increase their impulse sales." Walkers Shots will be supported by a £1.3m TV campaign airing in May, as well as heavy in-store POS to ensure retailers are fully aware of the innovative new product. BigD reveals saucy snack pair BigD has revealed a fruity new image with the launch of a perfect pair ­ a new "mixed nuts and raisins" snack. The launch heralds the introduction of new cards featuring more of top page 3 glamour model and the face of BigD's sexy campaign, Ruth Higham. New mixed nuts and raisins cards see Ruth modelling racy animal print lingerie, which reflects the vibrant, cheeky personality of the brand. But that's not all, as consumers are in for a double treat with new card designs for both salted and dry roasted varieties. Sales of the brand have rocketed since its re-launch in autumn 2002, when Ruth was unveiled as the new face of BigD, rekindling for many the warm memories of Beverley, the much-loved BigD card girl of the 1970s. Rob Woodall, marketing director for BigD, said: "The new campaign has proved a great incentive to buy BigD peanuts and remove the bag from the card to reveal more of Ruth. With its bold personality, BigD is ideally placed to help expand the category by offering consumers greater choice and variety.