Procter & Gamble dominated the UK Product of the Year Awards once again this year. The company picked up ten awards in a wide range of categories at the awards held last night at London's Intercontinental Hotel.
Now in their third year in the UK, the number of categories has grown to 32 and awareness of the scheme is said to be increasing all the time, with 17 million people aware of the awards and 20 million recognising the Product of the Year logo.
TNS, the research company responsible for collecting and analysing Product of the Year data, found that half of 16-44 year olds familiar with the scheme would be more likely to purchase a winning product, an increase of 15% over last year. The average sales increase of a winning brand is said to be 10%. “To win Product of the Year is a powerful endorsement from the UK public,” said Mike Nolan, md of the scheme. “It's all about rewarding innovation but at the same time it's proved to be a simple but highly effective way for manufacturers to give sales a significant boost. The scheme continues to be a success story and we're confident that awareness figures and confidence in the awards will continue to increase year on year to drive increased sales for the winners.”
From today all 2007 winners are able to use the Product of the Year logo on product packs and on communications material. Last year 19 of the award winners used the logo.
“The Product of the Year awards is an important reflection of the public's views on innovation within the FMCG sector,” commented David Soulsby, head of NPD with TNS. “It also provides useful insight for marketers and product development teams as they consider how to make their own brands stand out in the marketplace.”
2007 winners in the C&T sector include: