Ferrero is pouring £8.1m into promoting its brands this Christmas with four TV campaigns and 10 new product launches.

With a 30% share of the boxed confectionery category at Christmas, this year Ferrero will hero the Raffaello brand with a £2.85m media investment, including its first UK TV ad and video on demand. On air from October, the creative is designed to encourage trial and connect with a younger audience through its tongue-in-cheek script. With 93% of consumers watching videos online, the campaign will feature a heavyweight digital activation, 1 million samples and visually-engaging in-store displays. The activity will be backed by two new gifting lines The Raffaello Micro Ballotin (rrp £1.23), which will be available all-year-round, Raffaello Mini Tree 40g (rrp £2.09).

Supported by a £2.45m media investment, Ferrero Rocher will be back with its ‘Make Your Moments Golden’ creative from 2 November for 11 weeks in the lead up to Christmas. Out of home activity, social activation engaging over 750,000 Facebook fans, an interactive new website and a nationwide sampling campaign will run alongside the advert. The company claims that the novelties market is growing at 20.3%, and is hoping to take advantage with tree decoration Ferrero Rocher Shooting Star (rrp: £1.99) and token gift, the Ferrero Mini Tree 50g (rrp £2.09). Grand Rocher has also undergone a makeover with improved labelling and a new easier to stack format, ensuring that the product is as easy as possible to sell.

Ferrero Collection will also star in a standalone TV creative, which goes live from November, supported by print advertising and PR.

Thorntons is offering a Santa Advent Calendar (rrp £3) and a Gruffalo Advent Calendar (rrp £3). Not forgetting the grown-ups, the new Continental Advent Calendar (rrp £8). The brand’s 200g and 60g models have also received a 2016 makeover with new poses and packaging.

After a strong Easter performance, Kinder Joy (rrp 99p) will be back for the festive season - this time with a Christmas design. Kinder Choco-Bons Box 300g (rrp £4) and Kinder Chocolate Minis Hangable Star (rrp £1.50) will also join the line-up.

“Retailers are stocking up for the seasonal period as early as August and our plans for the coming months are sure to help them drive sales even further,” says Boorer. “From the organised shopper getting the gifts sorted in September, to those who put the finishing touches together on Christmas Eve, we are confident Ferrero is the perfect partner to help retailers make their sales golden.” The firm achieved sales exceeding £79m in the months leading up to Christmas last year.