Another year of innovation excellence - Supermarket.co.za

PRODUCT OF THE YEAR
Contempo Rough Rider and all eyes were
on stage to see who would be bravely
coming up to fetch this award.
Winning comments
From left to right: Unilever’s Unathi Mgobozi, Shaadia Vawda, Sphelele Mjadu, Jacqueline Pillay, Kerry Cuppusamy,
Anisa Govender, Caroline Clayton and Ana-Maria Panait proudly present the company’s 12 awards.
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Unilever swept the stage for the fifth
consecutive year by receiving 12 of the
prestigious awards. The winnings were
taken by 12 of its homecare, personal care
and foods products.
“Unilever is very proud to once again
have won in so many categories. It is great
that consumers appreciate the success
of our product marketing and innovation,
while we strive to be the best in a highly
competitive market. We strive to exceed
customer expectations whilst reducing our
environmental impacts across the lifecycle
of our products,” says Marijn van Tiggelen,
chairman of Unilever South Africa.
Clover scooped two awards on the
night. Firstly, for its new UHT Prisma Pack
long-life packaging. “At Clover, we consider
our products from our customers’ point of
view. This is why we decided to address the
spillage that sometimes occurred with the
previous long-life milk packs,” says Sherian
King, senior brand manager at Clover.
The second award was for Clover’s 800g
Cheddar and Gouda cheese packs. “What
makes these awards so significant is that
they’re judged by consumers who buy and
use our products,” she continues.
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SUPERMARKET & RETAILER, MARCH 2013
Royco’s Instant Soup Range emerged as
the overall winner of the soup category.
“The success of our new Royco Instant
Soups lies in consistently delivering
on great taste and quality without
compromise. All our instant soups have no
added MSG or artificial colourants and with
our fantastic new product innovations such
as our Kids range, we are listening to the
needs of our consumers,” says Jann Lurie,
brand manager for Mars Africa.
The accolade in the beverage category
went to Coca-Cola SA for its PowerPlay
Fruit Kick energy drink. PowerPlay senior
brand manager, Kgomotso Tabane
commented: “We signed up for voluntary
tests because we sincerely believe that our
product is not only innovative but relevant.
It is enjoyed by a significant amount of
South African consumers.”
Amka’s Satiskin Blissful Berry Foam
Bath won in the bath foam category.
“The consumer response to the new berry
fantasy variant has been overwhelming.
We’ve had wonderful feedback from our
consumers and to be honoured with this
prestigious accolade is just further proof
that we’ve developed a winning product.
We’re all very proud!” says Karen Kohler,
brand manager for Satiskin.
Bridging the gap
Sewraj emphasises that Product of the Year
will continue bridging the communication
gap between manufacturers and consumers
through researching new products. Testing
them with consumers and providing
constructive feedback to companies
ensures that customers get value for their
money.
The winning companies, whose
innovation proved that they let their
customers’ opinion and needs shape their
development, may use the Product of the
Year logo for all of 2013. Using it on the
product itself, as well as across various
media channels reassures prospective
customers that the South African public has
endorsed the product. Companies can enter
their products free of charge and pay a
prescribed fee for the use of the logo.
Everybody wins
Retailers can benefit directly from the
awards by converting increased product
reputation and publicity into sales. A
special promotional display with all
awarded products or special Product of the
Year shelf labels will attract the attention
of your customers. It also instils confidence
to try unfamiliar products or items they
don’t usually purchase.
An initial price cut promotion will serve
as a motivator and has the potential to
generate repeat purchases for years to
come. Don’t miss this opportunity to
capitalise on local innovation excellence,
as well as supporting and showcasing the
endorsement of the South African public.