If you want to impress Alan Middleton, you’ve got to be bold.
More specifically, entries into the 2012 Product of the Year Canada awards should sway more toward revolutionary than evolutionary to impress Middleton, assistant professor of marketing at York University’s Schulich School of Business and returning chair of the upcoming awards program.
Going into its third year in Canada, the Product of the Year program celebrates manufacturers’ innovation in function, design or packaging for consumer goods, and is a way to highlight stellar products for consumers shopping the aisles since winners are able to place a seal noting their win on their packaging as well as in their marketing communications for a one-time license fee.
Considering nearly 6,000 consumers vote on the products, the red Product of the Year seal holds substantial sway in customer choices. Global product of the Year data—the program runs in 28 countries—shows winners have typically seen sales rise by an average of 10% to 15%.
Middleton said he hopes to see more than just merely evolutions of existing products in this year’s entries. A company claiming that adding lime to an existing beer line is new just doesn’t cut it in his eyes. “I was adding lime to beer when I was 16 years old in England and that was a long time ago,” he said.
What’s more impressive to him is a product like the Springfree Trampoline, which was awarded the Canadian Product of the Year award in the “Around the Home” category and the Product of the Year Jury Award in 2010. The Springfree Trampoline is, well, just that. The netted trampoline has eliminated the dangerous parts of a traditional trampoline, including steel coil springs and steel enclosure poles, to reduce the safety risk. “It’s not a big revolution, but it’s totally new construction thinking for a trampoline,” said Middleton.
He’s also pleased to see that more small and medium enterprises, in addition to the majors, are entering this year.
Products that are submitted will be reviewed by a jury with a mix of professionals from the agency, media, academic and manufacturer sectors, said Middleton. The 2012 jury is currently being formed.
Once the jury chooses finalists that meet the standards of innovation and value, they are judged through an online survey of Canadian consumers. The survey is conducted by Rogers Connect Market Research group, which then compiles a research report that each finalist receives about each winning product’s category, as well as information on shopping trends. (Each year’s categories can change since they are created based on the innovation demonstrated in the entries themselves.)
Continuing a trend from last year’s awards, Middleton said the jury is looking for new products across a broader range of categories than just packaged goods. For example, he said the group has extended the look into the service category. Last year, for example, there was an online financial services category. There have also been sports goods, grooming and home/lifestyle products entered.
To submit a product for the 2012 Awards, it has to have launched since Jan. 2010. Entries must be submitted by Nov. 30. The 2012 winners will be announced in Jan. 2012.
