McCain gears up for product assault with Rostis launch

McCain, the Canadian food giant associated with oven-ready frozen chips, is about to embark on a series of major product launches starting with Rostis, which will be aimed at what it dubs as the “no fuss, no hassle” generation.

Rostis will be aimed at young adults on the go and will be on supermarket shelves next month. The new product launch is the first for sometime. In 1998 McCain spent £12m on an advertising campaign to support its chip brands in the UK.

The Rostis launch will be supported by a multi-million pound marketing spend, starting with below-the-line activity until Christmas. The campaign will include free samples and “hit squads” that will target shoppers leaving supermarkets. An above-the-line assault by D’Arcy will start in January.

A McCain spokesman says: “McCain is targeting a new generation of consumer that is not just about the family.” He adds that McCain is looking to launch more products and there will be announcements about these in the near future.

Rostis will be priced at £1.49 and available in packets of six.

McCain is the largest chip maker in the world and is still a family-run company, with Harrison McCain at its helm.