{"id":110515,"date":"2018-02-27T10:53:18","date_gmt":"2018-02-27T08:53:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/product-of-the-year-celebrates-10-years-in-sa\/"},"modified":"2018-02-27T10:53:18","modified_gmt":"2018-02-27T08:53:18","slug":"product-of-the-year-celebrates-10-years-in-sa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/product-of-the-year-celebrates-10-years-in-sa\/","title":{"rendered":"Product of the Year celebrates 10 years in SA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Product of the Year celebrates 10 years in SA<\/a>: <\/p>\n

Product of the Year \u2013 South Africa\u2019s largest independent consumer-voted survey \u2013 celebrated 10 years of rewarding innovation and excellence in the country at its annual awards gala ceremony, held this year at The Maslow Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg on Thursday 22 February.<\/p>\n

Established 30 years ago in France, Product of the Year currently operates in 39 countries. This third-party endorsement programme aims to help clear the clutter for consumers, to guide them and help them find the best new products and services in their market, while also rewarding manufacturers for quality and innovation.<\/p>\n

This year’s awards ceremony was a more formal affair as CEOs and other executives across various industry verticals, including the FMCG sector and other important consumer-facing markets such as technology, petrochemicals and health products, attended the formal black-tie gala dinner.<\/p>\n

In a celebration of its own heritage, renowned local comedian John Vlismas once again fulfilled the role of emcee on the evening, having 10 years prior officiated the inaugural event. \u201cWe were extremely excited to have John back,\u201d says Preetesh Sewraj, CEO and Chief Innovation Analyst at Product of the Year South Africa. \u201cIt provided a great element of nostalgia, particularly as he hosted the first five awards ceremonies. We were therefore delighted to have him back to celebrate with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the event Vlismas lent his unique blend of humour to proceedings as the last decade of work done by Product of the Year South Africa was showcased and celebrated, before plans for the next 10 years were shared with attendees.<\/p>\n

Vlismas then had the auspicious honour of announcing the category winners for 2018. The results were once again based on the endorsements of 4, 000 consumer households who, after trying and testing the products or services, were surveyed by leading global information and measurement company, Nielsen.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 2018 awards were characterised by diversity, as we had a broad spectrum of winners from varied companies, with both local and international brands recognised on the night,\u201d continues Sewraj. \u201cGlobal icons such as Samsung and LG won awards, with international companies that are headquartered in France, the US and Britain acknowledged alongside home-grown brands like Hug in a Mug and the innovative Seatbelt Medic emergency device, which won the new safety category.\u201d Cookware was also added to the list of categories in 2018, which was won by Tefal Expertise.<\/p>\n

The full list of category winners includes:
Category Winner
Alcohol Beverages Strongbow Apple Ciders
Male Deodorants Playboy Signature
Female Deodorants Playgirl Sensuous Antiperspirant
Feminine Protection StayFree Flexicomfort Pantyliners
Laundry Detergent Sunlight 2-in-1 with Smartfoam
Personal Hygiene Dettol Eventone Hygiene Soap
Cooking Appliances Philips Viva Collection TurboStar Airfryer
Fragrances Gold Series Pour Homme Eau de Toilettes
Home Appliances HiSense Fridge
Television LG OLED TV
Safety Seatbelt Medic
Motor Lubricants Castrol Magnatec
Beverages Hug in a Mug
Cookware Tefal Expertise
Dairy (Heritage) Nutriday
Home Cleaning Harpic White & Shine
Dairy Snack Danone DanUp
Premium Smartphones Samsung Galaxy S8+<\/p>\n

Sewraj adds that 2018 also saw the introduction of another Product of the Year innovation, with the inclusion of the Innovation of the Year Masterclass. \u201cThis took the form of a conference held at The Maslow before the awards ceremony, aimed at helping executives and marketing professionals drive the innovation agenda within their organisations,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

Sewraj believes that this has become a strategic imperative for brands locally as the marketplace becomes more cluttered and a growing number of nimble startups disrupt existing lines of business.<\/p>\n

\u201cSouth Africa has bred a number of industry pioneers who have contributed greatly to global innovation, but those driving the most prolific developments in this regard are generally doing so outside of our country. We therefore want to foster a culture of innovation among our business professionals, entrepreneurs and non-governmental organisations to help them improve the lives of South Africans across the board.\u201d<\/p>\n

The inaugural masterclass took the form of an idea-sharing platform. Guest speakers from Nielsen\u2019s Innovation Division and Popimedia, the only local Facebook-approved marketing partner, engaged with invited attendees on the topic of cultivating an innovation mindset within organisations and how to leverage it to succeed in the modern marketplace.<\/p>\n

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