Allied Bakeries is giving Kingsmill a new look supported by a £4.6m marketing push – which will include the brand’s first social media activity.

The new packaging, which will begin rolling out to retailers next week, has been designed to give Kingsmill a more consistent look following a range of brand extensions over recent years.

Kingsmill’s logo has been updated, and a large transparent window added to packs to make it easier for shoppers to see the bread. “Just as consumers like to pick up a loaf to feel how fresh it is, they also want to see what the bread looks like,” said Allied Bakeries brands director Will Ghali, who added that the company had been keen to retain the look and feel of the original branding so shoppers would recognise it easily on fixture.

The new look is part of a brand relaunch under the banner ‘Kingsmill, Fresh Thinking’ that includes a multi-channel marketing campaign designed to target parents who are juggling work and a busy home life. It will be supported by a TV ad that breaks in January with a dad as the central figure.

“We wanted to show that we understand the role of dads in modern family life, rather than focus on mum,” said Ghali. “Mum is a presence in the background but the focus is on the dad and the kids.”

Kingsmill will also be making its first use of social media from next week when a Facebook page and a Twitter feed go live. “We have taken a prudent approach to social marketing and watched what other brands have done and waited before making our move,” said Ghali.

Staff from Allied’s customer careline will answer queries from consumers on Twitter, while the brand is hoping to build a community through its Facebook activity. One strand of this is a Facebook app called Easy Escape that will help a parent plan a day out and will also offer sandwich suggestions.

Sales of Kingsmill have risen 2.8% year-on-year to £342m [Nielsen 52w/e 1 October].