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'We are looking at getting a bit more talked-about as a brand,' he says. Given recent developments in the bread sector, this seems a sensible aim. The epic 'Go on lad' ad for Hovis certainly got chins wagging, and has been credited with creating a turn-around in the fortunes of the Premier Foods brand.

It is probably safe to assume that Wilson has given a good deal of thought to his rival's strategy, but that does not mean he finds it easy to talk about it. Mention the 'H' word and the amiable 46-year-old has a tendency to clam up, falling back on the line that the Kingsmill team is just 'focused on what we are doing'.

Fortunately, this still leaves Wilson with a lot to talk about. He and his colleagues have been overseeing a fresh creative theme for the bread brand and working on some innovative NPD. Next week marks the debut of a heavyweight £6.5m campaign created by ad agency M&C Saatchi that will form part of a sizeable £11m marketing spend over the next 12 months. It playfully uses the notion of temptation to tap into family, enjoyment and taste - the key values that Wilson wants to associate with the Kingsmill brand.

One execution shows a father and son returning home after playing football to find a tasty-looking sandwich that the mother of the family has made for herself. After some deliberation they decide to eat the sandwich and blame it on the dog when she asks where her lunch has gone.

Another ad shows a couple getting ready for work. The man prepares a sandwich, subsequently eaten in secret by his wife, who then manages to convince him that he never made it in the first place.

'They're about little secrets and naughtiness. They show that we understand families and what real life is all about,' says Wilson. 'We're building an emotional connection with consumers and we see this as the next stage in developing that.'

In line with the current trend among food brands for consumer engagement, Wilson says that members of the public will be invited to post their own confessions on the Kingsmill website. These could then end up being incorporated in a future ad.

At the same time, Kingsmill is launching a 525g Little Big Loaf. This specially baked product is half the weight of a normal loaf but has full-size slices.

According to Wilson, the product is the result of in-depth research that identified a gap in the market made up of smaller households, such as young couples or older people, who tend not to able to finish a normal-sized loaf before it goes stale. The existing small loaf products are not an option for them because they do not want smaller slices.

The concept of a half-sized loaf is not new; several have been available over the years. However, these have been created by splitting a full-size loaf rather than custom-baking a smaller product.

Wilson is adamant that the Little Big Loaf, which goes on sale this week, there-fore represents a real innovation. He explains that, following the relaxation of EU rules on loaf sizes in April, bread-makers have more flexibility and this set Kingsmill on the path to find the optimal small loaf.

'The fact the loaf has two crusts was cited as crucial. Not only does this preserve the freshness of each slice by retaining moisture, but it also gets over consumers' feeling that loaves that have just been split in half, have been tampered with,' he says. 'Without any legal restriction on loaf-size, we were able to design a tin around exactly what consumers want in a uniquely needs-driven initiative.'

Wilson points out that the packaging for the Little Big Loaf, which has a recommended retail price of 95p, is designed so that the product can be presented on the shelf vertically, marking a break with another bread category norm. It also taps into the growing awareness among consumers of the need to avoid food waste, both to save money and reduce their negative impact on the environment.

The launch of the product will be backed by another temptation-themed ad, featuring a couple lying in bed. While the man is entertaining amorous ideas, the woman is fantasising about having a bacon sandwich, so she invents an excuse to get up and go downstairs.

Wilson sees the latest NPD and ad campaign as part of a journey on which he embarked when he took up the top marketing role, following a series of major and sudden changes at Allied Bakeries.

Soon after the arrival of chief executive Brian Robinson in 2006, the then marketing direct-or Jo Sykes, and JWT, the incumbent ad agency, were abruptly removed. Wilson, who was head of marketing at the time, covered the senior role for an interim period before being appointed permanently later in the year.

This came after a period when the brand appeared to have lost its way. It was in dec-line and its ads, starring TV presenters Mel and Sue, never seemed to quite hit the mark. 'It wasn't clear what the brand stood for,' says Wilson.

After taking up the reins, Wilson assembled a team of agencies including M&C Saatchi and Vibrandt, which works on packaging design for the brand, to carry out a 'root-and-branch' review.

This led to a relaunch in 2007 with family-oriented ads and improved packaging and product quality. 'This put the brand on a real upwards trajectory and we saw all the key measures move forward,' he says.

Sales shot up by 20% during 2008, making Kingsmill one of the fastest-growing grocery brands that year. According to the latest Nielsen figures for this year to the first week of August, its value sales have risen by 3%, to £322.7m.

Wilson seems to have settled into his role after a period cultivating his entrepreneurial streak, first at a retail services business, and then at an internet start-up selling coffee. Aside from this, his CV is closer to that of a traditional FMCG marketer, with stints at Allied Domecq, Kimberly-Clark, Vileda and Reckitt Benckiser, where he handled the launch of Vanish Pink.

With Hovis plotting its next big ad-cum-short film for 2010, Wilson may find Kingsmill's thunder being stolen again. However, it could be that his approach of focusing on the job in hand, rather than worrying about what others are doing, will stand him in good stead in the long run.