Nielsen's 2016 list of Breakthrough Innovation Award winners includes 11 two-year-old food & beverage products that "cracked the innovation code to maintain staying power in a crowded marketplace."
"This isn’t a fluffy list of 'favorites,'" said the market data firm. "It’s a comprehensive study of CPG brands that met Nielsen’s strict criteria of distinctiveness, relevance and endurance to sustain more than $50 million in sales in its first year on the shelves, and more than 90 percent growth in year two. This year’s winners are driving growth across a variety of food retail channels, including traditional supermarkets, C-stores, drug stores and club warehouses."
The winners are:
• Bai (by Bai Brands)
• Ben & Jerry's Cores (Unilever)
• Breyers Gelato Indulgences (Unilever)
• Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups (Nestlé)
• Cheez-It Grooves (Kellogg)
• Chili's At Home (Bellisio Foods)
• Chobani Flip (Chobani)
• Chopped Salad Kits (Dole)
• Giovanni Rana (Rana Meals Solutions LLC)
• P3 (Oscar Mayer)
• Skinny Pop Popcorn (Amplify Snack Brands)
The nonfood winners were Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal (Church & Dwight Co.), Gain Flings (Procter & Gamble), Glade Wax Melts and Warmers (SC Johnson), Milk-Bone Brushing Chews (Big Heart Pet Brands – which now is part of J.M. Smucker), Nasacort Allergy 24 HR (Chattem), Nexium 24 HR (Pfizer) and Sally Hansen Miracle Gel (Coty Inc.).
"In today’s tech-obsessed consumer landscape, it’s important to recognize the impact that everyday household staples have on the quality of consumers’ daily lives and rituals," Nielsen said. "These new products come from an innovation force with a little less fanfare: consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers. Meeting the challenge of continuously finding new ways to help improve America’s daily routines of eating, cleaning and grooming is a feat that should be recognized."
This year’s Breakthrough Innovation Award process reviewed close to 3,500 consumer products that were introduced to the market in 2014. Through this objective analysis, 18 brands met Nielsen’s requirements for distinctiveness, relevance and endurance to earn the award. This year’s roster is the largest class of winners to date and includes two start-up companies.
