Mary Carmichael Weetabix is dividing a £14m marketing budget between its Weetabix and Alpen cereals in a bid to turn them into power brands. Plans include new ads and a packaging redesign, as well as bringing smaller sub-brands under the banners. New products include four Alpen cereal bars ­ dome-shaped to offer a point of difference in the booming sector ­ which are rolling out this week. Boxes of Alpen cereal will contain a bar to boost trial. The cereals giant is also renaming Minibix as Weetabix Mini Crunch in the shake up, while Nature's Own becomes Weetabix Organic. All the Weetabix variants will appear in landscape rather than portrait-shaped packs, sporting the newly-italicised Weetabix logo minus the ear of wheat. Meanwhile, the Alpen umbrella will extend across Advantage (which becomes Wheat Flakes) and Crunchy Bran, with the Alpen Tropical, Caribbean and Nut Crunch variants also sharing the brand's new look. Shelf talkers are available to help consumers locate the renamed products. Alpen's updated image has a new logo and bright colours ­ a different one for each variant ­ combining with the signature bright blue background, replacing the cereal bowl picture. A month-long TV campaign for Weetabix ­ which moves from the brand's familiar With/Withoutabix theme to focus on it as energy ­ airs from Monday (June 3), backed by radio and outdoor ads. TV ads for Alpen are running now, featuring comedienne Arabella Weir and carrying the strapline, Nourishment without punishment', while cereal bars ads and a summer outdoor and sampling campaign kick off next month. {{P&P }}

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