I’m a loud and proud Marmite lover – there’s no better snack than a wedge of cheddar dipped into a jar of luxuriously silky dark Marmite, so you can imagine my glee when I read in today’s Metro that Unilever has produced a Marmite Extra Old, also known as XO. Due to hit the supermarket shelves a week today (March 8), XO is a result of a secret blend maturing for 28 days – four times longer than the original product.

The new recipe has been developed with the help of the Mamarati – a secret group of 40 hardcore fans that have expressed their love for all things Marmite flavoured across a variety of different social media networks.

Other fans of the savoury spread can join the new social media group at www.marmarati.org – a website dedicated to Marmite’s loyal fans. Here you can engage in conversation with fellow Marmite lovers and upload videos, poems and photographs of how best to enjoy the strong tasting spread – the most creative posts win one of 200 commemorative jars.

Marmite is the latest in a long line of brands that are using social media to interact directly with their consumers and they’re doing it well.