Vimto Soft Drinks is planning a record £3.5m marketing spend this year on its flagship squash and carbonated brand, kicking off with a TV ad for newcomer Vimto Citrus on Monday (Februrary 18). The company said the spend came on the back of impressive sales figures last year with ACNielsen putting volume growth of Vimto squash in multiple grocers up 16% in the 12 months to October. Vimto's investment in the brand beats last year's spend by £1.4m. The ad for Vimto Citrus comes just weeks after the newcomer hit shelves and will account for £1m of this year's marketing budget. Ten and 30-second executions show brand ambassador Purple Ronnie attempting to explain the taste of the like Vimto but kinda orange' drink to his best mate Nev. But Nev is thwarted in his attempts to try the new refresher by a series of comical mishaps. The campaign will run from Monday (February 18) until the end of May, with screenings on ITV and Channel 5 in the Granada, Yorkshire and Tyne Tees TV regions. {{P&P }}