Packaged-goods marketers from Procter & Gamble, Reckitt Benckiser and Coca-Cola were among those who gathered at the Edison Ballroom in New York on Tuesday night to find out which of the many, many products launched in 2009 were voted Product of the Year in the Consumer Survey of Product Innovation. (Product of the Year awards are given out in 28 countries, but it wasn’t until last year that the independent organization expanded to the U.S. AdweekMedia was among those presenting this year’s show.) See a list of this year’s winners here. After the jump, read about some highlights from Tuesday’s event, which, among other things, had Phil Lempert (aka The Supermarket Guru) hosting the show in a sharp yet subtly glittered suit he bought from Barneys.
• P&G dominated the stage. (It helps that it’s the largest advertiser in the world.) The Cincinnati-based maker of Pampers and Bounty was back not once, not twice, but four times for POY accolades—for Pantene Pro-V Nature Fusion shampoo and conditioner, Perfect 10 by Nice ‘N Easy, Secret Clinical Strength Waterproof antiperspirant and Tide Stain Release.
• The team from Coca-Cola strutted up to the stage bearing bottles of Sprite Green (their evening’s win). Their enthusiasm and loud cheering made you wonder if they got all that energy from drinking a naturally sweetened, low-calorie beverage.
• Leave it up to the marketers at Springfree Trampoline to jump, jump, jump when posing for their award picture with Lempert. The product, which garnered the top vote in the category of new products for children, is made entirely free of springs—a safety feature.
• To demonstrate his point about the multitude of supermarket choices facing shoppers, TNS global retail and shopper practice scientific adviser Herb Sorenson brought a mini shopping cart with him to the podium.
• Marketers pay to enter the Product of the Year awards. The selling point is that "when your product wins, you win. Wearing our logo isn’t just prestigious, it’s profitable." Such a mantra was reinforced on a banner drop onstage.
• S.C. Johnson, which won best POY marketing campaign in 2009 for Off! Smooth & Dry insect repellant, returned to the stage this year for its launch of its Pledge Multi-Surface Cleaner. Stay tuned for more ads about how all of America loves it, if last year’s Off! campaign is any indication.
—Posted by Elaine Wong