Double Cream goes on-shelf at the end of July with a five-month initial budget of £9m, of which £3m will be devoted to TV ads. Nestle roster agency Lowe has been appointed to create the ads, which will break on September 5.
The product, which will be sold in 47g and 150g blocks, contains double cream instead of milk, and three other ingredients - Ecuadorian cocoa beans, sugar and cocoa butter.
It will be positioned as a quality chocolate, between Cadbury's Dairy Milk and Green & Black's or Lindt & Sprungli's Lindt brand.
The launch follows research by Nestle into how other food categories had created a class of quality within their sectors, and produced brands to drive demand within it. Examples include Walkers' upmarket crisps Sensations and Nescafe's Gold Blend.
Nestle senior brand manager Jenny de Saulles said Double Cream was much more than "just another NPD project for Nestle, but the birth of a quality standard within the market.
She said the chocolate market had become commoditised, with many producers seeking to build sales through promotions such as BOGOF offers or '50% extra free'.
Double Cream will be priced more expensively, at 40p and £1.09, compared with 32p and 99p for Dairy Milk. "People have become more aware of quality and are prepared to pay a bit more for it, de Saulles said. "We looked at where we needed to take the chocolate market to achieve that transformation and educate the consumer."
Radio and press ads will support the TV campaign, along with a heavyweight sampling blitz in gyms, hotels, florists and shops, which will reach 5.5 million people. A PR campaign will also aim to educate consumers about the product and its positioning, and Nestle is planning joint promotions with other brands.
"This is a long-term plan, that is why we have committed £34m over the next four years, said de Saulles.
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