McVitie’s launches assault on cereal snacks with a:m

McVitie’s is launching a range of breakfast products to capitalise on the fast-growing “breakfast on the go” market. The launch will be McVitie’s biggest this year and will be backed by a multi-million pound advertising spend.

The brand is called a:m and is understood to comprise eight different products, including a muffin, a cereal bar and cereal bites – bitesize pieces of cereal in a bag. All packaging will carry a new logo with the tagline “snacks to go”, to emphasise the product’s convenience. Advertising for the range, which will be on sale from next month, is believed to carry the tagline: “A tasty way to start the day.”

In an ambitious move, a:m will launch in both the confectionery sector, with a singles range, and the biscuit sector, with multi-packs. The launch will be spearheaded by a television campaign created by Publicis, and point of purchase will feature highly as McVitie’s has developed a standalone unit for retailers that can accommodate the full range.

The cereal bar market is growing rapidly. Last year, both Soreen and Alpen launched their first cereal bar ranges while McVitie’s extended its low-fat Go Ahead! range.