Ice cream behemoth Unilever is increasing its field sales force in a bid to reach five times as many retailers and has pledged to place more freezers into the trade this year.

The company is also launching a host of new products next month to help drive the £938m Ice Cream category and is pouring £3.5m into its Talking Ice Cream marketing campaign, as well as investing in specific campaigns for Magnum and Cornetto.

2016 will see Magnum Double caramel joined by chocolate and peanut variants. Magnum Double (rrp £1.90 for impulse packs or £3.35 for multipacks of three) will be promoted with a £13m ’Dare to go Double’ media campaign from April to August.

New Twister Blackcurrant has been created with blackcurrants and strawberry juice (rrp £1 each or rrp £2.49 per mini multipack of six). Unilever has designed the new variant and reformulated the original Twister to be non-high fat, salt and sugar products, which the firm claims enables parents to confidently buy it as a responsible treat for their children.

Feast Snack Bar will see the brand tap into the growing trend towards affordable snacking. Available in a peanut butter flavour, the ice cream bar will come in a £1 impulse format and multipacks of six (rrp £2.25). The product will feature in Wall’s £3.5m ‘Talking Ice Cream’ campaign, comprising out of home, social and mobile marketing.

Also targeting the snack market is Cornetto Choc ‘n’ Caramel Disc. The premium ice cream will be supported with a £3m marketing campaign, including TV and digital. (rrp of £1.50 per unit or £2.99 per multipack of four).

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