Bestfoods is pumping £3m into a TV and outdoor ad campaign to promote the launch of its instant hot snack product King Pot Noodle. Gayle Peacock, Pot Noodle brand manager at Bestfoods, said the campaign is humorous and "builds on the brand's heritage, cult status and irreverence." The TV ad shows a guy chatting to his imaginary friend Big Dave, justifying his need for the King Pot Noodle by saying that he's sharing it with Big Dave. The strapline is Blame it on Big Dave'. It breaks on October 16 and runs for two months on ITV, Channels 4 and 5 and on satellite, aimed at the core 16 to 34 year old audience. A six-sheet poster campaign will appear from October 30 for four weeks with the strapline How many King Pot Noodle snacks can you eat before you explode?" Peacock said: "This campaign sets out to differentiate the new King Pot Noodle snacks from the standard ones by targeting consumers with a big appetite, while at the same time developing its own street cred. "Impulse snacks are highly responsive to TV advertising. The number of consumers purchasing products under the Pot Noodle brand have increased by around 50% when the advertising has been on air in the past." King Pot Noodle launched in the summer to appeal to consumers who want a more filling snack. Peacock said that in the two months since launch it has already taken a 4.2% value share of the market. She added that sales of standard Pot Noodle were growing too, suggesting that so far there has been no cannibilisation effect. {{P&P }}