23 Jul Work Experience at Product of the Year

My Work Experience at Product of the Year by Alex Horn

I’m an A-level student studying Business, and last week I had the exciting opportunity to complete a week’s work experience with the team at Product of the Year.

Product of the Year is the UK’s largest consumer-voted award for product innovation. Each year, thousands of consumers vote for the most innovative products across a wide range of FMCG categories. Winning brands can then use the well-known red Product of the Year logo on their packaging and marketing materials – a trusted symbol recognised by 81% of UK shoppers, with 71% of consumers saying they are more likely to buy a product displaying the logo. The programme operates in over 45 countries worldwide, making it a truly global marketing award.

Throughout the week, under the guidance of Helga Slater, Managing Director, I gained valuable hands-on experience and developed a range of professional skills while supporting the team with a variety of marketing and administrative tasks.

Some of the projects I worked on included:

• • Researching new product development (NPD) launches and marketing campaigns through supermarket visits, industry publications such as The Grocer and Talking Retail, and online research.
  • Conducting research into youth banking and debit card services, before writing a short blog exploring current developments, trends and the benefits offered by different providers.
  • Learning how Product of the Year manages relationships with leading FMCG brands by using its CRM system to track enquiries, communicate with clients and manage award entries.
  • Carrying out primary market research through social media polling to gather consumer insights.

This experience gave me a real insight into the day-to-day operations of a marketing business and showed me how much research, organisation and communication goes into working with some of the UK’s biggest brands. It was fascinating to see how the team identifies new product launches, builds relationships with clients and helps brands maximise the impact of winning a Product of the Year award.

Overall, I learnt a great deal during the week and thoroughly enjoyed being part of the team. It was a valuable experience that has strengthened my understanding of the marketing industry and given me practical skills that I can take forward into my future studies and career.

Thank you Product of the Year team for having me!