July, 2026.- Product of the Year has been running in the UK for over two decades and in more than 45 countries globally. David Gray, recently promoted to joint Managing Director alongside Helga Slater, believes the model creates results greater than the sum of its parts. Helga brings years of experience directing Product of the Year and instinctively knows the best way forward through any situation. Gray brings specific experience in running businesses using the latest tech, tools, and methodologies, working hand-in-hand with Helga to modernize the organization and set foundations for future resilience.
In this interview, Gray discusses what makes the Product of the Year endorsement still move the needle in a world of influencer endorsements and social proof. It is about trust, at scale. An influencer builds trust with a loyal community, but tribes cannot be too large or they become hard to connect with. Product of the Year offers trust from consumers just like you—who have not been paid, who have not been influenced by industry professionals, and who have, at scale, endorsed the winner as best in category. This is particularly important with new products, because spending hard-earned money on something completely new carries risk. The Product of the Year logo removes that risk.
Gray also reflects on the most significant shift in how FMCG brands approach product innovation: brand partnerships. Bluey Breakfast Cereal from Kellogg’s and Bacardi & Coke ready-to-drink cans are recent winners. Product developers are always trying to make it simpler and more convenient, but trends change. A Product of the Year win gives clear differentiation against competitors.
1. The Joint-MD Model: You’ve been promoted to joint Managing Director alongside Helga Slater. How do you split responsibilities, and what’s the advantage of having two leaders rather than a single MD?
The truth is that this model creates results that are greater than the sum of its parts. Helga brings years of experience directing Product of the Year since and instinctively knows the best way forward through any situation – there’s nothing she’s hasn’t seen! On the other hand, I bring specific experience in running businesses using the most up to date tech, tools and methodologies and have worked hand-in-hand with Helga to implement these across Product of the Year, helping the organisation modernise and set the foundations for future resilience in uncertain times. We might not be Lennon & McCartney but we work brilliantly as a team and everything we do is aligned to make a positive impact on the business.
2. From Catalyx to Product of the Year: You previously worked with global brands including P&G, Reckitt, and Unilever to turn consumer insight into product innovation. How does that client-side perspective change how you approach building relationships with brand partners now?
I don’t think how I approach building relationships has changed, other than to say that working with those huge multinationals teaches you how silo’d they can be to their own markets. When I was working with decision makers in Switzerland and the UK for example, it was essentially starting from scratch each time as each market, at least the larger, more mature consumer markets, are so different and the needs so varied that on the ground, the reach of globalisation is more limited than you might think. The consumer research part of what we do at Product of the Year in partnership with Kantar isn’t so different to that of Catalyx on a basic level – putting the consumer at the heart of the process. A UK consumer is totally different to a French, Belgian or Dutch consumer (and they are different to each other again) even though geographically we are all in very close proximity. So I guess that really is the key takeaway for when I am building a new relationship – the client is hyper-focused on their market. That’s not to say they have no interest in hearing about or discussing other markets but having that empathy for their world-view is super important when building relationships with them.
3. The Value of the Endorsement: 71% of consumers say the Product of the Year logo makes them more likely to buy, and 81% recognise the logo. In a world of influencer endorsements and social proof, why does an independent consumer-voted award still move the needle?
This is all about trust, at scale. An influencer is a great way to build trust with a loyal community of followers, but the limitations of that community in terms of size are precisely what makes them loyal. It is tribalistic almost, and very positive, but tribes can’t be too large or they become hard to connect with. You could argue that a band of influencers will scale for you, and that’s probably true to a certain extent, but I think you will still hit a ceiling and ultimately that endorsement could end for reasons out of your control. So, influencers are super important, but as I see it, they are a part of a wider approach to building trust. Where we come in, is having that trust that consumers just like you, who haven’t been paid thousands of pounds to promote anything, that haven’t been influenced by industry professionals, that, at the same time, are perfectly able to say a product is terrible, have shared their views and preferences, and have, at scale, endorsed the winner as the best in category. But even more than that, have endorsed the product as worth buying. This is particularly important with new products, because, as a consumer, how do you know the newest thing is any good? Spending your hard-earned money on something completely new carries some degree of risk, but the Product of the Year logo removes all of this risk and tells the consumer it is worth a try, because they know that consumers just like them have independently, with no incentive, voted that product as the winner. Which is why we see that correlation between awareness and purchase intent. It’s because of this foundational trust and authenticity that huge, global brands enter time and time again because winning Product of the Year means something different.
4. 21 Years in the UK, 45+ Countries Globally: Product of the Year has been running in the UK for over two decades and in more than 45 countries. How do you maintain the integrity and consistency of the award across such diverse markets?
This is very much related to the previous question. At its heart, Product of the Year is a very simple concept – a vote – based solely on the opinions of the consumer. This simplicity makes it incredibly easy to translate across markets, and to maintain integrity over many years and decades. Moving with the times is important, but not changing that foundational principle is critical to the success of the business. There is no long-term commercial benefit in short-term gain, if that short-term gain in any way threatens the trust that consumers hold that the logo is meaningful (voted for by them) and different (only one product may have the title in each category) And this is the same across all of our markets. We are a close-knit team and we share knowledge and best practice across nations and markets. We are all partners together working to help each market perform as best they can, whilst keeping the concept and the values consistent. This translates down to the consumer and is what drives our long-term integrity and consistency.
5. The Innovation Landscape: Product of the Year judges innovation in function, design, and packaging. What’s the most significant shift you’ve seen in how FMCG brands approach product innovation in the last few years?
I think the biggest shift recently is in brand partnerships. Last year, we had two winners – Bluey Breakfast Cereal from Kellogg’s and Bacardi & Coke ready to drink cans. There were others in the previous year and when I look down the list of NPDs released in the last two years, brand partnerships are a key strategic way FMCG companies are looking to create new offerings for existing and new audiences. Of course, there are always trends, and these will, in any given year, dominate the entries. Product developers are always trying to make it simpler and more convenient to fit into consumers’ everyday lives. But they all move with trends together. A Product of the Year win gives that winner clear differentiation against competitors. Whether you think back to CBD a few years ago, protein infused food and drink of more recent times, matcha and fibre currently and who knows what next in a few years, the trends change, but having a trend does not, and so how do you differentiate? I also feel there has been a growing tendency in the last year or two to offer more limited edition launches as a test and learn, and then re-introduce / extend into a permanent offering when it takes off. It’s live consumer testing in some ways, and I can see why brands do it. There is a risk of burn-out or just sheer overwhelming the consumer, but I think it works better for some brands than others.
6. Entries Open for 2026: The awards are opening for entries this spring. What’s your message to brands that have never entered before—and to those that have entered but never won? What makes a product truly award-worthy?
So, we are open for entries now, until the end of July. I think our message to brands is this: Trust is hard to build, and easy to lose. Consumers need to trust their brands more than ever before, and consumers trust each other more than anyone else. Winning Product of the Year gives you that outlier that creates and builds trust, so that new consumers are more likely to try your product for the first time. But it’s also something different. Brand marketers are under so much pressure to deliver growth, and this pressure creates difficulties in taking risk, and risk can be costly. But there is no risk with entering Product of the Year, again, this is why huge global brands, as well as challenger brands and startups enter their products. If you don’t win, well that’s a shame but we don’t parade our runners-up on a wall of shame. And if you win, you can use our famous red logo and tell consumers that you are their chosen Product of the Year. There is only upside to that equation. And I’ve deliberately avoided the other part of the question – that’s up to the consumers! I never second guess what they will decide, and they always throw up a surprise! But I do admit that every year I secretly guess, but, I’ve never got them all right. So, if you do have a recent, or soon to be launched, product and you love it – and let’s face it, you are going to – then get it entered. There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain.
