Personal care: Unilever UK



Male grooming brand champion Lynx has undergone a major relaunch since the beginning of the year, which has involved improvements to the fragrance formulation, streamlined packaging and a feisty marketing campaign costing £9m. Buyers appreciated Unilever UK's attention to detail when getting product in front of shoppers, and its marketing support, from in-store to online and TV. Lynx also impressed retailers with its shelf-ready packaging.

Second place: P&G Third place: Wisdom, Beiersdorf



Confectionery: Masterfoods



Masterfoods' flagship Mars brand achieved 2.4% sales growth during 2006 thanks to a raft of marketing activities kickstarted by the £3.7m Mars 'Believe' World Cup campaign. "This included a huge communications programme with multiples, wholesalers and c-store groups," says David Bell, sales director for confectionery and snacks. Moving stock through stores efficiently has been high on the agenda with shelf-ready packaging and temporary displays.

Second place: Cadbury Trebor Bassett Third place: Nestlé Rowntree

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Alcohol: InBev UK



Brahma recently became the fifth-biggest beer brand in the world and has been key to Inbev UK's success this year. The easy-drinking Brazilian beer continues to build its sales, and offers increased margins for retailers, driving premiumisation and generating new sales opportunities, says InBev UK. Brahma is marketed as an ideal summer drink and last summer sales surged 149% during July and August, according to Nielsen.

Second place: Carlsberg Third place: E&J Gallo Winery, Diageo



Hot beverages: Unilever UK



Unilever's focus on selling at full price but with aggressive offers such as the PG World Cup mug giveaway and its more recent Monkey giveaway has added value to a category long blighted by deep discounting. Over the past year a packaging redesign and refreshed point-of-purchase scheme have drawn attention to the health benefits of theanine in tea. Unilever invested £18m in the 'Monkey and Al' TV campaign, which began in January.

Second place: Nestlé Third place: Tetley



Soft drinks: Coca-Cola Enterprises



Coke Zero hit the shelves in July 2006 and was one of CCE's fastest-growing launches, benefiting from serious commitment from the retailers, says Anita Huntley, head of marketing at CCE. Nine months after its launch the drink is already worth £46m. Its success has been down to making the product easy to stock with pre-merchandisable units on wheels and also by providing manpower in stores, says Huntley, as well as a £10m launch campaign.

Second place: GSK Third place: Danone















Household: Procter & Gamble



As part of its multi-brand strategy owner P&G launched Febreze with leading Lenor scent Spring Awakening last August with a £1.7m spend. This was complemented with innovative PoS featuring a 'push for freshness' button that allowed consumers to test Febreze Spring Awakening in-store. More recently, two new ranges have been launched: Lenor with Febreze and Ariel with Febreze, which were supported by an £8.5m campaign last month.

Second place: Unilever UK Third place: Kimberly-Clark

















Dairy & yellow fats: Arla Foods UK



In the UK, the Cravendale brand has grown by more than 10% in value year-on-year with retail sales of £72m, according to parent company Arla. This has been achieved through premium prices on Cravendale, despite significant fluctuations in conventional retail milk prices since March 2006. Cravendale has benefited from supply chain improvements and a high level of investment during 2006, which is expected to continue this year.

Second place: Danone Third place: Unilever UK

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