Rustlers is rolling out a new £2.5 million marketing campaign over the next 12 months.

The major marketing drive will be spearheaded by a new TV advert, aimed at its core target audience of 16 – 24 year olds.

The creative is headlined ’80 Years of Torment’ and tracks a man’s life from boyhood to old age, showing hardships endured along the way. It ends with the now elderly man tucking into a proper flame-grilled burger from Rustlers that cooks in just 90 seconds, finishing with the line: ‘What A Time To Be Alive’.

The ads will place the brand’s unique flame-grilled cooking process at the heart of its brand identity and communications.

It marks the start of a four-year plan by Rustlers to grow the UK’s £150 million*2 micro snacking category by £50 million.

Adrian Lawlor, Kepak Convenience Foods’ marketing and business development director, sais: “People who buy Rustlers rank it more favourably than loyalists of brands in our broader competitive set, but we’re going to accelerate growth by challenging and changing perceptions amongst people who have yet to try it.” 

Peak-time TV advertising will run on Channel 4, supported by cinema, outdoor and digital, generating over 70 million opportunities to see.

The first wave of the campaign breaks in Scotland and the North of England in November and runs until mid-December.