Pot Noodle is to get its first sub-brand with the launch of extra spicy Hot Noodle in Bombay Big Boy flavour. Backed by a £1.5m marketing programme, with a further £7.5m devoted to the £100m brand as a whole this year, it is Pot Noodles' biggest innovation since its 1979 launch. The curry-flavoured newcomer, due out on April 1 at a special introductory price, combines three buoyant trends ­ snacking, the youth market and hot flavours. Squarely targeted at 16 to 24-year-old macho taste buds, it comes with a sachet of extra hot sauce featuring irreverent dispensing measurements ranging from Bring it on' to Someone's going to get hurt'. The black pot features flames and a trident logo, together with quirky messages such as Not suitable for Aunty Audrey'. "All the elements work hard to hit the target audience and say heat," said brand manager Atif Sheikh. Generic Pot Noodle TV ads will alternate with specific Bombay Big Boy creatives in June and July ­ the first time an individual Pot Noodle product has been advertised on its own. The idea is to create a flexible advertising theme that can be adapted for the next four or five years. Sheikh predicted Hot Noodle would be worth £14m in its first year, with £5m coming from the independent sector. PoS including posters and shippers is available, along with Pot Stop fixtures for consumers on the move to serve themselves. {{P&P }}