Reckitt Benckiser brands have taken four categories in the 2009 Product of the Year Awards, the UK’s leading survey into consumer product innovation. At last month’s annual awards ceremony, held at London’s Royal Opera House, product innovations from AirWick, E45, Vanish and Nurofen won their categories to underline the company’s leading place in the Household, Personal Care and OTC Healthcare markets.
The winners are:
Air Fresheners: AirWick Aqua Essences Reed Diffuser
Body Care: E45 Endless Moisture range
Stain Removal: Vanish Magnets
Adult Health: Nurofen Express
Phil Thomas, Marketing Director UK Household and Personal Care, responsible for the AirWick, E45 and Vanish brands, said: “We are very proud that Reckitt Benckiser brands have made such a positive impact on consumers. We are especially pleased to note that this result represents wins right across the household, personal care and OTC healthcare categories, and proves once again that Reckitt Benckiser continues to deliver on its commitment to constant, fast paced innovation that both delights consumers and generates real category growth.”
Hanna Nowak, Marketing Director Healthcare UK, responsible for Nurofen, added, “Most important for us is that the Product of the Year awards are based on consumer opinion – and that vote of confidence is the most rewarding endorsement we can aim for. We provide what people want – effective, high performing products from trusted brands. We will be highlighting these accolades in all our ongoing marketing support activity during 2009.”
AirWick Aqua Essences Reed Diffuser was Reckitt Benckiser’s innovative response to consumer demand for an air freshener that ‘looks as good as it smells’. The product not only answered this challenge, but also created a completely new premium air freshener market segment. AirWick Aqua Essences Reed Diffuser combines a unique formulation, with delicately scented clear liquid and coloured beads contained in a modern glass vase – the fragrance gently and continuously diffused through natural rattan stems which come with the product. The AirWick Aqua Essences Reed Diffuser provides a long lasting, high quality and more natural smelling fragrance, combined with a design that can take its place with pride, in any living space.
E45 Endless Moisture: Launched at the beginning of 2008, the E45 Endless moisture range marked a new departure for the brand, taking its 50 years’ experience of developing expert products for soothing and caring for extremely dry skin/minor skin complaints, into ‘everyday skin care’. E45 Endless Moisture is a range of daily skincare body milks and creams for dry and normal skin types designed to ensure consumers get that ‘just moisturised’ feeling from morning to night. Reckitt Benckiser invested significantly in the development of the E45 Endless Moisture range, working closely with consumers to develop the only skincare range that offers the consumer both a truly beneficial range for ‘everyday and occasional dry skin care’, and the confidence and trust that comes with the E45 name.
Vanish Oxi-Action Magnets is a revolutionary combination of powerful stain remover and the added benefit of a ‘colour catcher’ via its unique in-wash sachet. Coming from the leading brand in laundry stain removal, Vanish Oxi-Action Magnets contain the proven power of Vanish Oxi-Action powder to work on stains, and at the same time the unique sachet acts as a colour catching ‘magnet’, helping to prevent colour runs in the wash by trapping any dye in the water.
Nurofen Express, the most trusted* analgesics selling brand in the UK, has been named winner of the Adult Health category. The introduction of Nurofen Express was the company’s biggest ever product launch and the most significant in the pain relief category for the last five years. It is also the first product development since Reckitt Benckiser’s acquisition of the Nurofen brand in 2007. The launch of Nurofen Express not only resulted in Nurofen achieving its highest ever brand share, but also grew the overall pain relief market significantly. In 2008, Nurofen Express was re-launched with a unique new formulation to help consumers target the source of pain, ‘twice as fast’**. The Nurofen Express range has also expanded to include a popular tablet format and the liquid capsules have been made smaller and easier to swallow. Research shows that what people want from a painkiller is speed and efficacy. Receiving the Product of the Year award is yet further recognition that Nurofen Express is tapping into a real consumer need.
*Readers Digest Survey 2008.
**Nurofen Express targets pain twice as fast as standard Nurofen tablets (Ibuprofen).
Reckitt Benckiser www.reckittbenckiser.com
Comments are closed.