South Africa’s best products recognised through market-leading independent consumer survey.
Product of the Year, the world’s largest consumer-voted awards programme announced the recipients of this accolade for 2017. At a gala event hosted at The Galleria in Sandton, Johannesburg on the 23rd of February 2017.
Product of the Year is the nation’s largest independent consumer survey, conducted by leading global information and measurement company Nielsen, which seeks to reward product innovation based on the endorsements of over 5,000 consumer households.
Established 30 years ago in France, Product of the Year currently operates in 38 countries with the aim of guiding consumers and helping them find the best new products and services in their market, while also rewarding manufacturers for quality and innovation.
“In this highly competitive and cluttered market making informed purchase decisions can be extremely confusing for consumers,” states Preetesh Sewraj, CEO and Chief Innovation Analyst at Product of the Year South Africa. “With limited expendable income consumers are often unable to test and trial every offering on the market, which is why we aim to take the guesswork out of this process for local consumers, effectively giving them a shortcut to the check-out counter while also saving them time and money.”
According to Sewraj, the Product of the Year third-party endorsement programme helps to clear the clutter as only the best quality products and services can stand up to this level of independent scrutiny. “It therefore offers the ideal platform for companies to prove to customers why they should purchase their product above all others,” he states. 
To enter, brands submit products for inclusion through an opt-in process in a variety of categories. Winners are chosen through a robust research process that employs best in class research techniques to understand consumer perception of innovation in the market.
In its infancy, Product of the Year award categories extensively covered the FMCG sector, specifically food, beverages, personal care and household care, but these have since expanded to include other important consumer-facing market segments such as automotive, technology, petrochemicals, medical and health products, and clothing, among many others.
In addition, a Heritage category was for the first time included in this year’s endorsement programme. Offering multiple divisions in line with the other established Product of the Year categories.
“South Africa has a strong history of innovation, which means that there are still iconic brands on the shelf today that have woven their way into the fabric of our society and continue to offer consumers quality and value for money. While they may not be innovative by today’s standards, we feel they still deserve recognition and should still be considered by consumers at the point of purchase. This is why we chose to expand our footprint and include the Heritage category in the Product of the Year awards,” explains Sewraj.
“We are extremely excited to this year have such a strong and diverse group of category winners,” continues Sewraj. “This list constitutes a group of recognisable multi-national brands that choose to bring their innovative products to South Africa, along with a group of local companies that are small in comparison, yet are innovating and competing by developing great products.”
The winners are now able to use the distinctive red Product of the Year logo on packaging and marketing, under license, for a period of 12 months.
Product of the Year also launched its partnership with BBM at the event. “We were honoured to have in attendance of Adam Patisson, VP the America and EMEA at BBM,” states Sewraj. “It is an important partnership for both us and our category winners as modern consumers increasingly adopt a mobile-centric approach to information sharing and e-commerce. We are therefore well positioned to drive innovation within the mobile channel, to amplify our reach and highlight the work being done to champion the consumer cause. We’re also able to engage with millions of consumers in South Africa and across the African continent.”
Serwaj concludes by saying that Product of Year looks forward to supporting the winners through the company’s innovative and diversified platform. “We hope to continue stimulating innovation in South Africa through our brand endorsement programme to ensure that deserving brands and their products get the exposure and recognition they deserve in the marketplace. Congratulations to all the winners.”
For more information and a complete list of winners, visit productoftheyear.co.za/winners.
Based on the independently-verified feedback of the 5,000 consumers surveyed, the most innovative products of the year for 2017 are:
| Category | Winner | Descriptions |
| Male Deodorants | Shield MotionSense | Shield MotionSense is the world’s first anti-perspirant with unique microcapsules, activated by movement. This breakthrough, patented technology delivers bursts of freshness as you move, leaving you feeling fresh and protected throughout the day. |
| Popcorn | Simba Kettle Popped Flavoured Popcorn | Simba the King of Snacks offers you two great tasting Kettle Popped Flavoured Popcorn with an extra crunch for your enjoyment . Our ready-to-eat popcorn is made from the highest quality corn. It denotes quality, freshness and great taste, living up to the Simba promise. Simba ROARRRRRS with Flavour. |
| Babycare | Epi-max Baby & Junior Range | Touch, nourish & love your child’s skin with Epi-max baby & junior Gentle all-purpose emollient moisturiser for babies and children that is mild enough to use from birth. Can be used as a moisturiser or a soap substitute on normal and dry skin. |
| Feminine Skincare | Johnson’s Vita-Rich | Discover the gentle power of Johnson’s Vita-rich range of Body Lotions formulated with ingredients derived from nature to help protect skin from harshest environments and keep skin freshly scented and moisturised for 24 hours. Its light texture is fast absorbing and non-greasy. |
| Pourable Sauces | Wellington’s New Recipe Tomato Sauce | As the flavour experts, wellington’s have conducted research over the past 4 years to better understand what South African’s really want from their tomato sauce. The results produced one key finding – consumers want more tomato-ness. Therefore our new sauce is 1) thicker, more dense consistency in their tomato sauce. 2) more tomatoes for a more tomato flavour. 3) richer, darker red colour, cues more tomatoes. Wellington’s new recipe is developed with 60% more tomato paste! , Which makes our tomato sauce thicker, with more tomatoes! |
| Female Deodorants | Shield MotionSense | Shield, South Africa’s number one selling deodorant brand, launched Shield MotionSense, the world’s first anti-perspirant with unique microcapsules, activated by movement. Shield MotionSense is the next generation in anti-perspirants with advanced motion-activated technology. Tiny microcapsules ‘burst’ when activated by friction, releasing freshness when you need it the most. |
| Fuel | BP Ultimate with Active Technology | Dirty fuels can leave dirt in your engine – and dirt can cost kilometres. Our new BP Ultimate fuels with Active technology can remove this dirt in as little as one to two tanks. BP Ultimate fuels with Active technology will start cleaning your engine from the 1st tank. And now all our fuels are designed to take you further with on-going use. |
| Breakfast | White Star Instant Maize Porridge | White Star, South Africa’s number one maize brand, entered the cereal category for the first time with the launch of White Star Instant Maize Porridge in 2016. Available in four flavours, White Star Instant Maize Porridge appeals to a market that is looking for something new, convenient, tasteful and affordable. White Star Instant Porridge is an excellent source of Calcium and 7 vitamins, and is differentiated as smoother, of superior quality, with better aroma of flavours and can be prepared by adding milk or water. |
| Mayonnaise | Miracle Whip | Miracle Whip uses a unique blend of spices to provide a sweet, tangy and creamy flavour for the perfect compliment to meals. This unique taste makes it the perfect choice to liven up any food better than mayo! We didn’t call it Miracle Whip for nothing, its been known to save anything from potato salads, to sandwiches to even chocolate cakes. Its now back to stay, and available throughout SA! |
| Therapeutic Skincare | Vaseline Camphor Restore | New Vaseline Camphor Restore has been created by Vaseline specifically for South Africans. In SA, Camphor as an ingredient is well known for its skin healing properties. As the Skin Care Experts, being the market for 140 years, Vaseline created a product that not only contains Camphor but is infused with micro-droplets of Vaseline Blueseal making it multi-beneficial. |
| Yoghurt | NutriDay Yoghurt | NutriDay Smooth and Fruit, low fat, flavoured yoghurt Not only is NutriDay a delicious, convenient snack, but it’s also a great way to get part of your daily requirement of milk or dairy. Try the new 270g size pack today! |
| Television | Samsung SUHD TV | Samsung’s SUHD TV line-up combines cutting edge innovation and stunning aesthetics. This product features Quantum dot technology, renowned for its durability and extraordinary picture quality, as well as ‘HDR 1000’ technology, the standard for premium material produced in Hollywood. This TV also serves as art in the living room, delivering boundless aesthetic appeal with 360-degree design, ensuring your television looks good from all angles that it is placed within the home. The Samsung Smart TV platform connects devices, such as decoders, consoles or home theater accessories. |
| Dessert (Heritage) | Ultra Mel Vanilla Flavoured Custard | Ultra Mel is an iconic South African custard brand that has been in existence for over 40 years. Ultra Mel is a versatile, mouth-wateringly creamy custard that can be served hot or cold over any pudding or dessert – separately or as an ingredient. |
| Chips | Doritos | Doritos fans, you are in for another explosive flavour experience with the bold return of Sour Cream & Mild Chilli. Fans with a love of life and live fully engaged, with a strong desire for self-expression and a youthful, lean in mind-set gravitate towards the distinctive triangular shaped corn chip as the snack brand of choice. Look out for Dorito’s great new flavour this year! |
| Food (Heritage) | Big Jack Pies | Big Jack… Still the same great pie, made with real meat for the last 40 years. Thank you for making our Beef pies the most eaten and loved Ready-to-eat pies in the fridge! Here’s to 40 more years of great Big Jack pies you can trust! Celebrating 40 years of bringing you 5 of your favourite variants – Pepper Steak, Steak & Kidney, Chicken & Mushroom, Mutton Curry and Sausage Roll. Go on, bite into our meaty pies – still the most meaty meal you’ll find for under R10.00 |
| Motor Lubricants | Shell Helix Ultra | Shell has developed an entirely new way to produce synthetic base oils, from natural gas. Shell PurePlus Technology is a revolutionary gas-to-liquids process that converts natural gas into a crystal-clear base oil with virtually none of the impurities found in crude oil. This means that Shell can make amazingly pure synthetic motor oils. |
| Home Appliances | Hisense Ice Maker Refrigerator | Hisense’s winning 535L side-by-side Ice Maker Fridge boasts an electronic LED multi-function control panel allowing for various water and ice dispensing options, bringing cocktail hour to the kitchen, every hour. Internally, the fridge is engineered around state-of-the-art NANO-freshness, and has received an A+ rating for energy efficiency. |
| Male Grooming | Schick Hydro 5 | Introducing the new Schick Hydro 5 Razor – our best shave for your skin, designed like no other razor to protect your skin from irritation. It’s exclusive Hydrating Gel Reservoir provides instant lubricating protection – hydrating throughout each shave and for up to 1 hour after you shave. Our five Ultra Glide Blades contain built-in skin guards that help control skin flow to reduce friction, and the guard bar increases skin stretch, resulting in a smoother shave. |
| Mobile Phones | Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge | The 5.5-inch Samsung Galaxy S7 edge is constructed from 3D glass and metal, in a sleek durable design with ergonomic curves. The smartphone features the new Dual Pixel camera with fast autofocus, guaranteeing picture perfect images, even in low light conditions and without missing a moment. The S7 edge is also dust- and water-resistance, has a microSD slot to add additional memory and a wireless charger and “fast charging feature” for an always-on experience. |
| Biscuits | Bakers Eet-Sum-Mor Chocolate Chip | After generations of enjoying South Africa’s favourite shortbread, the Bakersman has SUM-THING-MOR for you to adore. Introducing the favourite Bakers Eet-Sum-More biscuits made with melt in your mouth buttery shortbread and now wit delicious chocolate chips. |
| Hair Treatment | Dove Intensive Repair Treament Mask | Dove Intensive Repair Treatment Mask ensures it delivers instant damage repair and moisturisation. A combination of technologies, including Tri-Silicone and Micro sheets instantly smooth and restore the hair surface making hair manageable, soft and healthy looking from first use. It also provides the added benefit of progressive care through its Nutri-Keratin Repair Actives, which penetrate each hair strand to progressively strengthen from within, making hair healthier and stronger wash after wash. |
| Beverages | Fuze Tea | Rooibos Apple, Blueberry & Honey Flavoured Ice Tea Fuze tea is a refreshing, great tasting Ice Tea which has recognized the growing demand and consumer consciousness of health and wellness trends and will be launching an exotic new flavour, strongly positioning the brand in a unique “fusion” and multi-sensorial space in the category. |
| Dairy Beverages | Deneys Swiss Diary Gourmet Drinking Yoghurt | Full Cream Gourmet Milkshake. Packed in 380ml recyclable Glass Bottle. Our packaging is original and eye-catching, presenting our product in the most attractive way. The Swiss are known to make the best chocolate & most delectable cheeses. At Deneys Swiss Dairy, we make our decadent full cream milkshakes using exclusively SA Dairy Swiss Milk. Available variants: Strawberry Ice, Heavenly Lime, Bubble-gum Gelato, Iced Cappuccino, Don Pedro, Carmelo Crème, Swiss Chocolate, White Chocolate. |
| Hairwash | Tresemme Beauty Full Voulume | Using conditioner after you shampoo can weigh hair down and leave it flat. Tresemme Beauty –Full Volume is designed to leave hair smooth and polished but still full of bounce. |
| Healthy Snacking | Planters Nuts | With 100+ years of experience, America’s number one nut brand is now available in SA! Created with a special dry roasting process, Planters nuts are bursting with crunch and flavour. The roasting process, coupled with our innovative canned packaging, ensures the best possible quality and freshness. Variety is the spice of life (and we have plenty). Whether you’re in the mood for a simple snack, some delicious flavour, or some nutritious fuel, Planters has you covered |
| Wearables | Samsung Gear VR | The Samsung Gear VR offers a revolutionary virtual reality gaming and multimedia experience. It is a plug-and-play device that works seamlessly with selected Samsung Galaxy smartphones, including the S7 edge. Set-up is easy and you can enjoy virtual reality within minutes. The Gear VR is light and comfortable and with a 360° view, precise head-tracking and low latency/fast reaction times offers a more immersive virtual reality experience for playing games or viewing films, 360° videos and images. |
