IGD tests how well food companies know their customers
IGD has challenged food companies to prove how well they really know their target consumers, and will reward the best companies at the 2004 IGD Food Industry Awards in the UK. The Unilever Award asks companies to show how consumer insight has been used to develop an innovative business initiative.
The awards are open to food and non-food companies throughout the industry and recognise success across a range of activities, giving companies of all sizes a chance to shout about their achievements. Awards include The John Sainsbury Award for Learning & Development, The Sir Alistair Grant Award for Outstanding Small Business, Tate & Lyle Young Managers' Business Challenge, The ECR UK Award for On-shelf Availability, The Unilever Award for Consumer Insight, The Ian Maclaurin Award for Supply Chain Excellence, The Nestle Social Commitment Award, and The Tetra Pak Environmental Packaging Design Award.
The first round of judging will be carried out by IGD's in-house experts and then a shortlist will be invited to present to a panel of judges. This will consist of a 20 minute presentation followed by questions at IGD's offices (or a central London location). The winners will be announced at the Food Industry Awards ceremony on Tuesday 19th October 2004 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London. Winners will receive their award from the sponsor company in front of an audience of more than 500 industry guests.
For example, food ingredients manufacturer Renshaw Scott took the Unilever Award in 2003 for its Supercook Butterice range, after demonstrating its sound use of consumer insight and quantifiable business benefits. The company had been faced with a tough challenge: Traditional coverings accounted for 40% of the company's turnover but the market was in decline, with pressure on prices and margins as well as consumers' preference for more convenient, easy to use products. Following an extensive research programme, butter icing was identified as the most popular choice for baking and a new range of convenience products was developed.
In 2003, the judges noted that Renshaw Scott had conducted extensive research on a limited budget and identified a product gap, and that consumer research was evident throughout the whole process.
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