Nielsen Reveals 2016 'Breakthrough Innovation' Award Winners
A variety of 'unsung household hero' brands have been chosen by Nielsen as its 2016 U.S. Breakthrough Innovation Award winners at Nielsen’s ongoing U.S. Consumer 360 event in Las Vegas this week.
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, explained Rob Wengel, principal at The Cambridge Group, leader of strategic innovation at Nielsen and co-author of the U.S. Breakthrough Innovation Report. The "breakthrough innovator" new products come from a force with a little less fanfare: consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers, continued Wengel, and meet 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.
“Celebration of innovation should not be limited to just the technology space,” Wengel affirmed. “Consumer goods innovations bring improvements to our essential day-to-day experiences and rituals, from the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep.”
This year’s Breakthrough Innovation Award process reviewed close to 3,500 consumer products that were introduced to the market in 2014. Through objective analysis, 18 brands met Nielsen’s requirements for distinctiveness, relevance and endurance to earn the award. Breaking the mold, this year’s roster of winners differs from years past by recognizing the largest class of winners to date and including two “start-up” companies – a Nielsen Breakthrough Innovation award first.
The 2016 Nielsen Breakthrough Innovation winners include:
- Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal, Church & Dwight Co., Inc.
- Bai, Bai Brands
- Ben & Jerry’s Cores, Unilever
- Breyers Gelato Indulgences, Unilever
- Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups, Nestlé
- Cheez-It Grooves, Kellogg’s
- Chilli’s At Home, Bellisio Foods
- Chobani Flip, Chobani
- Chopped Salad Kits, Dole
- Gain Flings, Proctor & Gamble
- Giovanni Rana, Rana Meals Solutions, LLC
- Glade Wax Melts and Warmers, S.C. Johnson & Son
- Milk-Bone Brushing Chews, Big Heart Pet Brands
- Nasacort Allergy 24 HR, Chattem
- Nexium 24 HR, Pfizer
- P3, Oscar Mayer
- Sally Hansen Miracle Gel, Coty Inc.
- Skinny Pop Popcorn, Amplify Snack Brands
Over the past eight years of the Nielsen Breakthrough Innovation Study, the presence of strong leadership has been a consistent factor and has played a decisive role in the successes the Breakthrough Innovation winners have achieved. Within the 2016 U.S. Nielsen Breakthrough Innovation Report, the theme of “Breakthrough Leadership” frames this year’s narrative. Through insightful case studies, winners share details of their extraordinary accomplishments, showcasing Breakthrough Innovation in action. The 2016 Breakthrough Winner Spotlights provide real-world case studies of what transformational innovation looks like and how to achieve it.
Champions featured in Nielsen’s fifth U.S. Breakthrough Innovation Report satisfied three requirements to qualify for the award: Each product was distinctive and delivered a new value proposition to the market; each generated a minimum of $50 million in year one U.S. sales; and finally, the winners demonstrated the ability to endure the market by achieving in year two at least 90 percet of year one sales.
“Achieving innovation success in this highly competitive space is no easy task,” continued Wengel. “Breakthrough Innovation enriches people’s lives and stimulates economic growth. Lessons from this year’s winners show that with a deep understanding of people and their needs, and a lot of hard work, breakthrough success is available to any company of any size in any category.”
The U.S. Nielsen Breakthrough Innovation Project is a long-term in-depth analysis of more than 20,000 U.S. product launches over eight years. Since its inception in 2008, the project has celebrated 92 top products in the U.S. and 198 globally. The findings and winner spotlights in the U.S. are featured in the U.S. Breakthrough Innovation Report, which is released annually at Nielsen’s U.S. Consumer 360 event.
For more information about the Nielsen Breakthrough Innovation Awards or to download a copy of the 2016 U.S. Nielsen Innovation Report visit Nielsen.com/breakthrough.