Product of the Year Awards places top brands in the spotlight
MIDRAND - Finding innovative ways in which to entice consumers to businesses' products and services was the topical issue of discussion at the 2016's Product of the Year Awards (PoY).
Many of South Africa’s marketing and product development teams made their way to Inanda Club in Sandton on 22 February to hear how their product compared to 35 others which were part of the largest annual consumer product research survey on the African continent.
Some of the winners included Nando’s sachets in the condiments category and Robertson’s Masterblend in the seasoning category.
Preetesh Sewraj, CEO of PoY, pointed out that the awards were being held on the same day as the national budget speech.
“This means that as [producers] if you want to capture South African consumers, you need to bring your best product,” said Sewraj.
The winners would be able to use the PoY endorsement sticker for a whole year which, according to Sewraj, would give products a competitive edge.
“It distinguishes your product from your competitors,” he said.
PoY received an increased number of entrants this year. “There was a good mix of entries from small companies, along with the expected entries from medium to large corporates,” said Sewraj.
The brothers Donovan and Jason Goliath, local comedians, kept the mood of the evening light and filled with laughter. And Enver Groenewald, a director of Unilever, quickly brought home some sobering thoughts. Groenewald noted the strained conditions South Africans have found themselves in due to the weakening rand and rising food prices.
“Brands need to decide whether they want to have a purely transactional relationship with consumers or they want to be fully engaged with members of society,” he said.
Details: www.poysa.co.za
