2012 Best New Product Award winners announced from the 9th Annual BrandSpark Canadian Shopper Study

Plus, Canada's Most Trusted Consumer Packaged Goods Brands Revealed

TORONTO, March 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - North America's largest and most credible consumer packaged goods Award program, the Best New Product Awards (BNPAs), announces the winners from the ninth annual BrandSpark Canadian Shopper Study. The Study, which surveyed more than 53,000 Canadian consumers, awards consumer packaged goods products in three major category groupings - Food & Beverage, Health & Beauty, and Household Products - and also reveals trends gleaned from key consumer insights. Plus, the survey reveals Canada's most-trusted CPG (consumer packaged goods) brands.

Canada's Top Three 2012 Best New Product Award Winners:

• Best in Food & Beverage Category: Nestle Mini Drumstick
• Best in Household Product Category: Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Bath Scrubber
• Best in Health & Beauty Category: Colgate My First Toothpaste

For a complete list of winning products, please visit www.BestNewProducts.ca.

Canada's Most Trusted CPG Brands:

For a full list of Canada's Top Ten Most-Trusted CPG brands across eight categories, please visit http://bestnewproductawards.biz/canada/shopper_study.html

"Winning a Best New Product Award is a remarkable accomplishment because this is one tough competition," says Robert Levy, Founder of the Best New Product Awards and President of BrandSpark International. "Unlike typical consumer award programs where juries often grade the products, the Best New Product Awards have more discerning judges - Canadian consumers. Winning this Award means that thousands of consumers have purchased sampled and endorsed the product as the best in its category. This is why we refer to the Best New Product Awards as the 'Peoples' Choice Awards for Consumer Products'." This year there were 166 products that made it onto the list and only 53 were picked as winners. Winning products will receive their awards at the 2012 Best New Products Awards Gala in Toronto on April 19, 2012.

The 2012 Study saw more than 53,000 Canadian shoppers participate and represent shoppers from across Canada. To help reveal consumer trends about what Canadians buy and why, BrandSpark mines consumer insights in collaboration with academic partners Wilfrid Laurier University's School of Business & Economics and the University of Cincinnati's College of Business. Research firm IMI International independently determines the winners who are recognized with a spread in top Canadian magazines Canadian Living and Coup de Pouce. In addition, media partners Metro Daily News, Astral Out of Home and Newad will be promoting the winners in high impact national campaigns and Rexall will be promoting the winners in-store. Canadian consumers are taking notice of the Awards as the BNPA logo continues to be featured on packaging and in advertising. "Our research demonstrates that the Best New Product Award logo has the highest award logo awareness and influence among Canadian consumers," adds Levy.

Consumer Trends Gleaned from the 2012 Study include:

• The Economy: 61% of Consumers Believe Canada is in a Recession
  "Canadians' confidence in the economy has eroded with 61% believing that Canada is in a recession, this is an increase from last year's 54%," says Levy. "Consequently 49% of shoppers have permanently reduced their spending and more than 80% agree that they always try to buy sale items."
• It's toughest in BC (66%), Ontario (64%) and in the Maritimes (65%), where shoppers are the most pessimistic. Saskatchewan (43%), Manitoba (52%), Alberta (55%) and Quebec (56%) are the least pessimistic.
  
  
• Mobile Shopping Habits: 60% of Canadians Want to Use Smartphones & Mobile Technology in Store Aisles "Canadians are embracing mobile technology and using their smartphones more in store aisles," says Levy. "This bodes well for the influx of new mobile-point-of-purchase technologies retailers are planning to introduce in the coming months."
• There's a huge increase in smartphone penetration among Canadian consumers with 37% of Canadian shoppers owning a smartphone, up rapidly from 24% reported last year; however still below the nearly 50% penetration among American shoppers in a more competitive mobile market.
• Smartphones role in retail is growing with 60% of shoppers interested in using their phone to download or scan coupons, more than 50% using them to store their shopping lists and 40% willing to make instant purchases using their phone.
• Consumer awareness of mobile technology used in marketing is strong with 78% of shoppers aware of quick response or QR codes and new technologies such as NFC codes (Near Field Communication) are expected to gain popularity quickly.

• Food & Nutrition: 50% of Canadians Consider Themselves Overweight
  "Half of all Canadians believe that they are overweight and 88% of Canadians believe that there is a lot they can do with food and nutrition to prevent and/or reduce the risk of major health issues," says Levy. "Interestingly there still appears to be confusion among Canadian shoppers about what nutrients we should be consuming in our food for added health benefits and to reduce caloric intake."
• Canadians are increasingly concerned with their intake of sugar (65%), sodium (71%), cholesterol (58%) and fat (73%). However only 40% indicated that they know their recommended daily intake of most major nutrients including sodium and fat, and only 25% indicated that they follow the recommended guidelines.
• Beneficial ingredients most widely considered important to shoppers are fibre (71%), whole grains (67%), calcium (61%), Omega 3 (58%), vitamin D (58%), and protein (57%).
• Eighty per cent of Canadians are concerned about chemicals in their food, but only 37% believe that organic food is healthier.
• Many Canadians are turning to "natural" products, with 64% trying to buy products that are "as natural as possible" and 75% trying to reduce the amount of processed foods they consume.
• The "locavore movement" has remained steady for the past three years with 64% of shoppers consciously trying to buy foods that are grown locally - consumers consider food grown in their province as local.
  
  
• Beauty & Grooming: 60% of Canadians' Beauty Budgets are spent on Skin and Hair
• Canadian shoppers estimate that they spend approximately 30% of their beauty or grooming budget on each of skin care and hair care products. The remaining 40% is split between make-up, shaving, fragrance and teeth whitening products.
• Sixty-nine per cent of consumers place a higher value on skin care products that have been dermatologist tested even though only 17% of shoppers have been to a dermatologist in the past five years.
• Sensitive skin is reported by 55% of Canadian shoppers and they look for products suitable for their skin type.
• Skin care ingredients most avoided by shoppers are ammonia, peroxides and alcohol.
• Sixty per cent of Canadians believe that drug store beauty brands are often just as good as more expensive name brands found in department stores.

• Store Brands vs. Name Brands: Overall Brand Loyalty Increased to 49% from 45%
  "Even though overall brand loyalty increased to 49% from 45% the previous year ultimately Canadian shoppers are looking for a deal when they peruse the shopping aisles and will often compromise by purchasing private label store brands if it will save them money." says Levy.  "Interestingly shoppers refuse to compromise on name brand beverages."
• 90% of consumers have purchase private label products in the past year.
• Private label penetration grew to 55% from 50% in over-the-counter health products; however private label penetration remained constant for food (90%), beauty (26%) and household (59%) products when compared to last year. Private label penetration is 50% for beverages.
• 68% of consumers believe that manufacturers of brand name products often make the private label products. However, shoppers still perceive a value in brand name products with 50% indicating that they prefer to find value by purchasing brand name products on sale rather than purchasing private label.

More information is available in the BrandSpark Canadian Shopper Study.

About the 2012 BrandSpark Canadian Shopper Study

The 2012 BrandSpark Canadian Shopper Study presents the results of the ninth annual Canadian shopper trends and behavior survey. More than 53,000 respondents contributed with data weighed to the profile of the PMB principal grocery shopper by gender, age and region: 60% female, 55% under 50 years of age (weighted to five ranges), and by region - West, Ontario, Quebec, Maritimes. Data was collected between November 9 and December 31, 2011. The BrandSpark Shopper Study is in its fourth year in the U.S. and its second year in Mexico, France, Germany, the U.K., and Brazil.

About BrandSpark International

BrandSpark International is an independent market research and consulting firm with expertise in shopper segmentation, new product development, consumer trends  and media.  BrandSpark represents leading North American and global brands, and conducts research around the world. www.brandspark.com

SOURCE BrandSpark International

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