Nestl̩ to launch Double Cream bar Рits first new brand for five years

Nestlé Rowntree is to launch a chocolate bar, called Double Cream, backed by a multi-million pound television campaign.

Nestlé Rowntree is to launch a chocolate bar, called Double Cream, backed by a multi-million pound television campaign. It marks Nestlé’s first new chocolate bar brand for five years, and only its second in 22 years.

Double Cream, to be targeted at women, will be on sale by the end August. It is made with Bolivian chocolate.

Nestlé’s last launch was Maverick in 1997, but the brand was discontinued in 2000. Before that, the last launch was Drifter in 1980. Nestlé’s preferred strategy has been to launch variants of existing brands.

Last year, it brought out a white chocolate Kit Kat Chunky to challenge Cadbury’s Dream Bar (MW December 13, 2001) and it has also brought out a number of variants of its Aero brand in the past few years.

One industry insider claims that Nestlé is trying to capture a new segment of the market: “Double Cream is pitched somewhere between Lindt and Cadbury’s Dairy Milk.”

Nestlé is also planning a &£5m relaunch of Polos, with redesigned packaging.

Advertising for both brands will be handled by J Walter Thompson. The agency created a &£3.5m campaign for the Yorkie relaunch, using the tagline: “Yorkie, it’s not for girls” (MW March 28).