Product of the Year 2009 open for entriesOne of the world's largest organisations dedicated to awarding innovation in FMCG has finally arrived in South Africa. Product of the Year champions' innovation rewards successful manufacturers with consumer recognition of their product development achievements, and provide the consumer with a short-cut to finding the most innovative new products on supermarket shelves. ‘Voted for the people by the people' the products entered into the awards face a one-on-one interview panel of judges who come from all over South Africa. Consumers who see the distinctive red logo know that like-minded people, friends, family and colleagues have given it the thumbs up. Research in the UK has shown that winning the award and getting the opportunity to display the logo can increase sales and deliver a significant return on investment. Product of the Year works through a simple five step process: Stage 2: The jury selects the finalists Stage 3: The public chooses the winners Stage 4: Product of the Year Awards Night Stage 5: The winners carry out their promotions “We are delighted with how quickly the South African awards are gaining momentum,” says Product of the Year MD Preetesh Sewraj. ”Consumers around the world are benefitting from real product innovation. Undoubtedly, Product of the Year will benefit the entire industry by enabling South African consumers to find real innovation and to allow manufacturers the focus their new launches deserve.” Around the world, Product of the Year is utilised by such respected manufacturers such as P&G, Unilever, Reckitt Benckiser, Coca-Cola and Nestle to list a few. Brand managers with an innovative FMCG product launched in the last 18 months should go to www.productoftheyear.co.za where they can enter online, see winners' TV ads, find links to other POY websites and read more detail on the competition's methodology. Entries close on 30 June 2008. |