Nielsen Recognizes The 25 Products That Reshaped Today's U.S. Consumer Landscape

Nov. 19, 2018

Whether it was Halo Top®'s nutritionally better-for-you ice cream, LIFEWTR's unique commitment to advancing and showcasing sources of creativity, CORE Hydration's body balancing benefits or the thinning of Oreo's classic cookie sandwich—endurance, sales and product distinction were some of the catalysts that led to success reflected in Nielsen's 2018 Top 25 Breakthrough Innovations list for the U.S. market. This newly released list which was powered by BASES, a new product innovation discipline within Nielsen, examines and celebrates what it takes to achieve consumer and retail success today.

Nielsen's highly anticipated annual Breakthrough Innovation analysis, the gold standard in recognizing innovation success, has been highlighting the best in innovation over the last decade. The 25 brands that made this year's list reflect a wide range of successful approaches that cut through the clutter of today's crowded product marketplace. The diversity of Nielsen's Top 25 Breakthrough Innovations prove that success comes in many different forms and strategies, as marketers continue to find new ways to make a true impact with consumers through innovation.

Beyond Nielsen's requirements for distinctiveness, relevance and endurance,  this year, the criteria for Breakthrough success was expanded to include a broader set of strategies that successful brands employed, honoring the best execution of each. The result: a list of products that reflect strong, distinct qualities such as mass potential, longevity, brand incrementality, category distinction and appeal toward a specific consumer target. 

"In today's climate, the marketplace is more crowded than ever, so the pressure to innovate is immense," says Jenny Frazier, SVP of Nielsen BASES. "We know that successful innovation comes in many forms, from category-growing mega-successes to products that meet the needs of a specific type of consumer, and everything in between. This year, Nielsen BASES is awarding success across all the ways we know companies create it—these 25 launches represent the best of a variety of successful strategies all companies employ. They have broken through the noise, allowing them to utilize innovation as a means to feed customer demand and desire."

When one considers the wide variety of the products in Nielsen's Top 25 Breakthrough Innovations, there's no obvious thread except for this; each possessed the ability to capitalize on research or smart insights—in some cases, it was both. And because of it, the consumer landscape is more alluring, dynamic, and above all, represents innovation at its finest.   

2018 NIELSEN BREAKTHROUGH INNOVATION LIST:

Nielsen reviewed close to 3,500 consumer products and named the following to this year's list. These products are recognized for the innovation and growth they brought to their respective categories:

Product 

Company

Biofreeze® 

Performance Health

CORE Hydration 

CORE Nutrition, LLC

Dave's Killer Bread 

Flowers Foods, Inc.

Dunkin' Donuts® K-Cup® Pods 

The J.M. Smucker Company& Keurig Dr Pepper

Halo Top® 

Halo Top Creamery

LIFEWTR® 

PepsiCo

siggi's

siggi's

Garnier Whole Blends 

L'ORÉAL

OREO Thins 

Mondelēz International

GOOD THiNS 

Mondelēz International

Similac Pro-Advance, Similac Pro-Sensitiveand Similac Pro-Total Comfort 

Abbott

Green Giant® Riced Veggies 

B&G Foods, Inc.

Hillshire® Snacking

Tyson Foods

OLLY 

OLLY PBC

Stouffer's® Fit Kitchen 

Nestlé USA

Charmin Essentials

Procter & Gamble

Gillette Fusion5™ ProShield and ProShield Chill 

Procter & Gamble

Hefty Ultra Strong Trash Bags 

Reynolds Consumer Products LLC

Sara Lee® Artesano™ Original &Golden Wheat Bakery Bread 

Bimbo Bakeries USA, Inc.

Tide PODS® Plus Febreze Sport Odor Defense™

Procter & Gamble

CRYSTAL PEPSI® 

PepsiCo

MTN DEW PITCH BLACK® 

PepsiCo

Carol's Daughter®

L'ORÉAL

L'Oréal Paris Root Cover Up 

L'ORÉAL

STōK Cold Brew Coffee

Danone North America

Dunkin' Donuts® brand is licensed to The J. M. Smucker Company for packaged coffee products sold in retail channels such as grocery stores, mass merchandisers, club stores, and drug stores. This information does not pertain to Dunkin' Donuts® coffee or other products for sale in Dunkin' Donuts® restaurants. Keurig and K-Cup are trademarks of Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., used with permission.

Related

Smucker Foodservice Logo
Product Guide

J.M. Smucker Co.

May 6, 2013
J.M. Smuckers is the company behind many well-known brands, including Folgers, Dunkin', Café Bustelo, Jif, Smucker's Uncrustables, Smucker's, Hostess, Voortman, Milk-Bone and ...
Mondelez 117x70
Snacks, salted snacks, bars

Mondelēz International Vending

Dec. 17, 2012
As a global snacking powerhouse, Mondelēz International offers an unparalleled portfolio of iconic snack brands including OREO Cookies, CHIPS AHOY! Cookies, belVita Breakfast ...
tyson 5a5f5ee654f55
Food

Tyson Foods

May 30, 2007