It’s a marketing exec’s fantasy: one of the biggest movie launches of the year is called The Hobbit, and you already produce a brand of the same name.

That’s the position biscuit maker Bahlsen found itself in when one of its sales managers pointed out that the Hobbits biscuit brand the company sold in Germany shared its name with the prequel to blockbuster movie series The Lord of the Rings.

Hobbits biscuits will now be making their UK debut in November, supported by an on-pack tie-up with the launch of Warner Bros movie The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey the following month.

The oatmeal biscuits will roll out in plain (rsp: 99p) and milk chocolate (rsp: £1.49) variants, while the accompanying on-pack promotion will offer a prize of an exclusive private screening of the movie, with goody bags for runners-up.

“The movie provides the perfect partnership and launch platform,” said Bahlsen marketing director Jon Dance.

Bahlsen is also relaunching its Choco Leibniz sub-brand, and is next month rolling out updated packaging designed to emphasise the Choco Leibniz branding and differentiate the variants in the range. In a first for Bahlsen, the revamp - which includes a new mould design for the biscuits - has been developed in the UK before being rolled out internationally.

The company is supporting the relaunch with a £1m push that includes sponsorship of Channel 5 TV drama Person of Interest, PR and print advertising.

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