Macleans Advanced Freshmint Toothpaste wins product of the year

They come in all shapes and sizes and perform an array of different functions from feeding, cleaning, protecting and beautifying. But the one common factor tying together the 2011 Product of the Year winners is simple - consumers love them.

More than 5,000 Australians were surveyed to find the most innovative new products to hit the supermarket shelves in recent times, stretching across 21 categories including Packaged Goods, Health, Beauty, Cleaning and Pet Care.

Winners that impressed from a new packaging perspective included Dettol's No-Touch hand washing system, Berocca Performance with its Twist N Go bottle, Airwick Aqua Mist with its unique trigger and Finish Quantum with a dissolvable capsule that doesn't need to be unwrapped. The Organic Bubs baby food pouches also resonated with the consumer, as did the new Cadbury block packaging.

Performance was at the heart of several wins, including Macleans Advanced Freshmint toothpaste with a new formula to strengthen enamel, Revlon's PhotoReady makeup to provide instant airbrushing and Panadol Extra for quicker pain relief.

The chairman of the jury which shortlisted entries, Coles Supermarkets marketing director Simon McDowell, said emerging from the pack to win a Product of the Year category was a real achievement.

"Some of the larger supermarkets carry up to twenty-five thousand product lines, so standing out amongst such competition is quite a feat," he said.

McDowell said several winners had revolutionised packaging and/or performance in their particular space.

"The connection with the consumer was immediate in a number of instances because the product was so fresh and innovative, creating meaningful points of difference," McDowell said.

"The winners have set a benchmark for engagement. Now it's up to their competitors to re-invent and compete. And that is good news for the end consumer."