Magazine’s product of the year award claims it will be ‘benchmark’ for rivals
The Australian Women’s Weekly is to launch a Product of the Year awards in a move which puts it head-to-head with an identically named awards programme organised by the Sydney-based advertorial TV maker What’s New.
As Mumbrella reported last month, What’s New funds a Roy Morgan survey of 5000 consumers who are asked to identify the best new products of the year across a range of supermarket categories. The results of this form the basis of its Product of the Year awards.
However, the ACP-owned AWW announced this morning that it would be doing its own Product of the Year Awards, launching this October. Readers will be invited to take part in a survey, based on consumer experiences and product innovation. There will then be a vote across various categories before an award ceremony.
AWW’s Deborah Thomas, who will be chairing the shortlisting panel, claimed: “We’re confident that these awards will quickly become the benchmark by which all other product awards in Australia will be measured.”
Winners will be able to use the Product of the Year logo in their own advertising, packaging and point-of-sale material. “Winning brands will be rewarded with a high-profile publicity boost, which comes from the integrity and credibility associated with The Australian Women’s Weekly brand and a national survey of this size,” claimed Thomas.
Mark Silcocks, boss of Now Screen, the company behind What’s New, was not available this morning, although a colleague told Mumbrella that the firm had an agreement to be the local organiser of what was an international Product of the Year franchise so there could be “legal implications”.
As an added twist, Now Screen’s advertorials air on channels including the Nine network, which is owned by PBL Media, the parent company of ACP.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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topics
ACP
Advertising
Australian Women's Weekly
AWW
business
Deborah Thomas
magazines
Media
Now Screen
Product of the Year
What's New
