PRODUCT OF THE YEAR USA REVEALS 2018 AWARD WINNERS BASED ON LARGEST U.S. CONSUMER VOTES

Product of the Year USA, the world’s largest consumer-voted award for product innovation, announced the winners of the 2018 Product of the Year Awards. A national study of 40,000 consumers conducted by Kantar TNS, a global leader in consumer research, determines the Product of the Year winners each year with the aim to help consumers best identify the top new consumer products.

Throughout the year following the Product of the Year Award Show announcement, winners receive an average of 350 million media impressions through top-tier earned media, trade and consumer press, social and digital engagement, as well as a 25 market SMT hosted by an expert spokesperson.

Each Product of the Year winner also sees increased sales and continues to outpace category sales growth by 38.1%. This is due to the fact that consumers are 36% more likely to believe an ad featuring the Product of the Year logo and are 44% more interested in purchasing a product featuring the logo. Brands also receive a detailed report on key measures including product satisfaction and purchase interest.

Every year, Product of the Year takes entries from new consumer products launched within the previous year that demonstrate advancement within their industry. Product nominations are placed into categories including beauty, personal care, household essentials, car care, food and beverages, pet care, and are assessed on seven key measures. One product is named the winner of each category, based on the results of the consumer study.

The 31 winners of the 2018 Product of the Year Award are:

• Air Care: Febreze ONE – Procter & Gamble
• Bakery: Duncan Hines Perfect Size for 1 – Pinnacle Foods
• Beauty: Schwarzkopf Gliss Ultimate Repair Anti-Damage Mask – Henkel
• Beer: Heineken COOLERPACK – Heineken USA
• Better-For-You Snack: ALDI Elevation by Millville High Protein Bars – ALDI, Inc.
• Breakfast: Sandwich Bros. Breakfast Sandwiches – Sandwich Bros. of Wisconsin®
• Candy Bar: Oreo Chocolate Candy Bar – Mondelez International
• Car Care: Valvoline Easy Pour Bottle – Valvoline
• Convenience Meal: Imagine Super Soups – Hain Celestial
• Cooking: Copper Chef Deep Square Pan – Tristar Products, Inc.
• Dish Care: Cascade Platinum – Procter & Gamble
• Dishwasher Cleaner: Cascade Platinum Dishwasher Cleaner – Procter & Gamble
• Feminine Care: U by Kotex Fitness – Kimberly Clark
• First Aid: CURAD® SoothePLUS™ – Medline Industries, Inc.
• Frozen Entrée: Cooked Perfect Fire Grilled Chicken – Home Market Foods
• Frozen Side: Green Giant® Veggie Tots – B&G Foods
• Health & Wellness: Pure Protein Super Food – The Nature’s Bounty Co.
• Home Cleaning: PURELL Multi Surface Disinfectant – GOJO Industries Inc.
• Ice Cream: Skinny Cow High Protein Packed Low Fat Ice Cream – Nestle
• Laundry Booster: Purex Crystals Botanicals – Henkel
• Laundry Pacs: Tide PODS Plus Downy – Procter & Gamble
• Liquid Laundry: Gain Botanicals – Procter & Gamble
• Men’s Hair Care: Just For Men Control GX – Combe
• Pain Relief: PROcure Epsom Salt Gel – PROFOOT, Inc.
• Personal Care: Nature by Canus Fresh Canadian Goat Milk Soap – Canus – A Canadian Soap Company
• Pet Care: Turtle Wax Power Out! Carpet & Mats Heavy Duty Cleaner – Turtle Wax
• Ready-to-Drink Cocktail: Smirnoff Spiked Sparkling Seltzer – DIAGEO
• Snack Cup: ALDI Friendly Farms Greek Yogurt Tilts – ALDI, Inc.
• Spreads: ALDI Little Salad Bar Guacamole – ALDI, Inc.
• Sugar Confections: Toffifay – Storck U.S.A L.P.
• Women’s Grooming: Finishing Touch Flawless – Ideavillage Products Corp

For additional information about the 2018 Product of the Year winners, visit productoftheyearusa.com.

About Product of the Year:

Product of the Year is the world’s largest consumer-voted award for product innovation. Established over 30 years ago, POY currently operates in over 40 countries with the same purpose: Guide consumers to the best products in their market and reward manufacturers for quality and innovation.  Product of the Year winners are backed by the votes of 40,000 consumers in a national representative study conducted by research partner Kantar TNS, a global leader in consumer research.  The award is a powerful merchandising program for marketers proven to increase product sales, distribution and awareness.  Winning products are announced in February each year and receive the right to use the Product of the Year logo in marketing communications for two years.  For more information, visit productoftheyearusa.com.

About Kantar TNS:

Kantar TNS is one of the world’s largest research agencies with experts in over 90 countries. With expertise in innovation, brand and communication, shopper activation and customer relationships we help our clients identify, optimize and activate the moments that matter to drive growth for their business. We are part of Kantar, one of the world’s leading data, insight and consultancy companies. Find out more at www.tnsglobal.com.