Walkers 45% Less Salt, Magnum Remix, Madrí Excepcional among 2023's most innovative brands

Madrí Excepcional, Magnum Remix, Smirnoff Mango Passionfruit Twist and Walkers 45% Less Salt are some of the brands that have been named among 2023 European Breakthrough Innovation Award Winners under BASES Breakthrough Innovation Awards for 2023 by NIQ.

The awards recognise successful product launches, ranging from those that managed to disrupt their categories and grow their brand, to targeted plays that did not intend to appeal to the mass market.

NIQ noted that this year’s Breakthrough Innovation winners have had to navigate through a persistently precarious landscape marked by inflationary constraints, supply chain disruptions and the enduring impact of the pandemic. However, innovation remained a key driver of growth in most markets.

This year, Breakthrough Innovation 2023 named 11 winners among a selection of brands in Europe that have transformed their categories. In addition, it also acknowledged 9 ‘Wavemakers’, products that show potential for future success.

The 2023 European Breakthrough Innovation Award Winners are:

• BubbleGo (France)
• Elvive Hydra Hyaluronic (France, Spain, Germany, UK)
• Kinder Duo (France)
• Kylie Minogue Rosé (UK)
• Madrí Excepcional (UK)
• Magnum Remix (UK, France, Germany)
• Smirnoff Mango Passionfruit Twist (UK)
• Walkers 45% Less Salt (UK)
• Yfood (Germany)
• Nurofen Adult Liquid Capsules (Germany)
• ZzzQuil (Germany)

The recipients of this year’s European Breakthrough Innovation Awards have made strides across diverse product categories such as drinks, over-the-counter (OTC) or snacks. NIQ noted that these products managed to captivate their audience by tapping into unmet needs within the market.

The brands that successfully filled these opportunity gaps were said to have demonstrated a keen understanding of their customers and excelled in meeting their demands. Strong marketing activation across all verticals was indicative of the overall success of new products in the European market.

The 2023 European Breakthrough Innovation Award Wavemakers are:

• Alpecin Grey Attack (Germany)
• Domestos Power Foam (UK)
• Gliss Night Elixier (Germany)
• Lillet Berry Ready to Drink (Germany)
• Monster Energy (Norway)
• Gillette Labs (UK)
• Gillette Venus Satin Care (France)
• Ferrero Yogurette Ice Cream (Germany)
• Kinder Chocolate Ice Cream (Italy, Germany)

Jameel Kassamali, NIQ BASES Europe lead for Account Development, commented: “At NIQ BASES we once again have the unique opportunity to celebrate some amazing consumer product innovations in our annual Breakthrough Innovation Report. Rooted in the formula of pairing a good idea with a great product and bringing it to life with exceptional activation, this year’s winners delighted consumers, generating around $300m in revenue in their first two years of being on the market.

“As with previous years, we hope the stories behind our Breakthrough winners prove to be an inspiring learning moment on how to launch innovations while navigating challenging market conditions. And new in this year’s report is our section on Wavemakers – innovations that were launched only a few months ago but already show impressively high velocities in the market”.