SCA has for the seventh year in a row received the Product of the Year / Товар года award in Russia for Zewa toilet paper. SCA has also been awarded for the first time for the Zewa handkerchiefs. This success goes line in line with sales increase for both product categories.

“We are especially proud to receive this prestigious award in the hanky category, as this is a relatively new category for the Russian consumers,” explains Peter Steiner, Marketing Director at SCA for consumer goods in Eastern Europe. “In 2011 the volume market share of hankies, our distribution in Russian cities and sales grew significantly”, says Olga Gutnikova, Brand Manager for handkerchiefs and facial tissue at SCA.

Individual packs & better visualization

One of the recipes for the growth was to introduce individual pack sales of Zewa hankies. By allowing the consumers to buy just a single pack we encourage them to try the new product so that they can buy the entire package if the product meets their expectations.

Another factor is the visualization in the stores. ”We created several colorful dispensers which helped to attract consumers’ attention and place the product in cross-categories such as hankies for kids next to the Libero diapers,” says Victoria Gushina, Head of the SCA trade marketing team in Russia.

Focus on premium products

During 2011 primary focus has been shifting the consumers’ preferences towards the more premium Zewa Deluxe 3ply toilet paper. SCA’s national promotional campaign “For those who want more!” to support Zewa Deluxe tissue proved to be really successful. Not only it increased the sales volume of 3-ply toilet paper Zewa Deluxe but also it strengthened the consumer brand loyalty to Zewa”.
The Product of the Year award

Among the winners of the Product of the Year / Товар года award in other FMCG categories were Unilever, Schwarzkopf, Coca-Cola. This famous rating of the consumer preferences appeared at the end of the '90s.

This award is given in the product categories that are frequently purchased at the retail chains. To select the finalists the independent rating agency tracks the demand dynamics throughout the year based on ComCon and Nielsen data and other research companies; researches the representatives of the key retail chains.