Exclusive Mary Carmichael Manor Bakeries has lifted the lid on plans for the £5m makeover of its Mr Kipling brand ­ its first formal review in 30 years ­ and they include a change of image for the genial elderly brand ambassador. The new ads, due to screen in March, retain the Exceedingly good' tag but they show Mr Kipling wreaking unexpected havoc ­ startling ponies at a gymkhana, carving out divots of a golf course and throwing a stick for a small dog into a fast flowing stream. The strapline, spoken by someone munching a Mr Kipling product, is: But he does make exceedingly good cakes.' "The idea was to make the brand more relevant," said md Andrew Brown. "Humour is a great change mechanism." The change in the company's strategy comes after two years of research into the cake category and the brand's position within it, which was prompted by little category growth and pressure from rival sectors. The range's new red packaging, due on shelf in March, has a corporate' look, with coloured flashes differentiating products on shelf. The updated logo ­ white script on a red background ­ uses only Exceedingly good' as a slogan. Consumers will get a taster of the new logo on Comic Relief packs of Red Nose' Cherry Bakewells. These feature in TV ads, along with The Royal Family's Ricky Tomlinson, from February 26 to March 16. In line with the modernisation programme, a Mr Kipling web site went live last week. This includes details on the product range, brand history and nutritional information. {{P&P }}

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