Search is on for top liquor products

Alcohol companies have been given the green light to enter their products into a national competition judged by consumers.

The Product of the Year awards, now in its fourth year in Australia, seeks to identify innovative new products in the FMCG sector.

A panel of industry experts including retailers, media and consumer researchers assesses each entry, with finalists then submitted to an independent survey conducted by Nielsen, which is judged by more than 10,7000 Australian shoppers.

This is the first year that alcohol brands have been eligible to enter Product of the Year, which last year picked its winners from more than 28 categories, including fresh foods, beauty, hair care, cleaning products and pet care.

The director of Product of the Year Australia, Sarah Connelly, said the program is a valuable marketing tool for any liquor company with products that offer something new to consumers.

"Previous winners have used Product of the Year to stand out from the crowd with research finding 64 per cent of Australian shoppers already aware of the awards would be likely to buy a new product that has won," Connelly said.

To be eligible for entry, products must launch between January 2011 and August 2012 and be either a completely new type of product or represent a useful innovation to an existing product or brand, such as a pack redesign, brand new packaging or a rejigged formula.

Source: The Shout, 29 June 2012