Stimorol centre-filled gum hits the spot

Andrea Fell with Enver Groenewald - General Manager Sales & Advertising at Avusa, publishers of The Times and The Sunday Times.

Billed as the biggest innovation in chewing gum history, Stimorol Fresh Zone and Stimorol Vision are South Africa's first centre-filled chewing gum brands. Launched in 2007 and 2008 respectively, the combination of the crunchy shell and chewy centre provides long-lasting refreshment which has resulted in unprecedented sales around the world.

At the inaugural awards ceremony which took place at Midrand's Vodadome on the 29th January, Stimorol was announced Product of the Year in the confectionery category.

Based on local research conducted by Nielsen with over 5,000 LSM 5-10 South African consumers, Stimorol centre-filled gum was voted as the greatest breakthrough innovation in this category.

“Stimorol has demonstrated that the reason they are one of South Africa's favourite products is because of their willingness to innovate and bring new ideas into the confectionery category,” says Preetesh Sewraj, Managing Director, Product of the Year - South Africa.

The awards, which recognised products in 33 categories also acknowledged the likes of Unilever, Reckitt Benckiser, Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly Clark, Clover, GlaxoSmithKline, Parmalat and Nestle.

Cadbury Marketing Director for Gum and Candy, Alistair Mokoena commented: “This is great recognition for Stimorol. We are exceptionally proud of our innovation and that we are held in such high regard by the South African public.”

Stimorol plans to utilise the Product of the Year endorsement on their various Point-of-Sale (POS) materials and in their print and advertorial campaigns in 2009. Consumers can also look forward to further innovation and product developments in the coming months.


About Product of the Year:
Product of the Year is a global organisation that operates on every continent on the planet and has been in existence for a quarter century. The aim of the organisation is to offer an independent, research-based approach to determining the best new products in the market.