SLIM-Nielsen People's Awards Give voice to the people

New categories and wider coverage given to North and East

With the stage set and ready, the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) is ready to unveil the choice of the people at the SLIM-Nielsen People's Awards which is to be held on Tuesday (15 March).

The SLIM-Nielsen People's Award is held annually to recognise the brands and personalities that have left a lasting impact on the people of the Nation.

The People's Awards are significant because it allows the people to choose their favourite brands, companies, personalities, advertisements, films, tele-dramas and others instead of having the companies and personalities apply for the awards.

This year’s research boasts of a more representative sample of people, as it includes the North and East of the country for the first time.

SLIM, President, Rohan Somawansa said “as part of the Peoples Award, SLIM looks at the ‘people’s choice’ which is the ultimate maker in marketing strategies.

Any marketer who wants to see the success of a brand should understand and heed the people choice.

SLIM always stresses on the fact that marketers should be research-biased in their decision and the People’s Award is yet another step in line with our objectives.

SLIM, the national body of marketing has programmes to encourage best practises in research, branding, advertising and sales which are the key pillars of marketing.

A brainchild of SLIM, and backed by Nielsen, the largest research company in Sri Lanka, the SLIM-Nielsen Peoples Awards saw its inception in 2006 and has been held annually since.

SSLIM, Vice President, Thushara Perera stated that “as much as the awards give the public an opportunity to laud the brands that are dear to them, the research done also gives corporate entities insights regarding top-of-mind awareness and how their brands are perceived by consumers.”

Project Chairman, Ruwan Liyanagamage added that “what has always set this event apart is how relatable it is, as it appeals to those in business and marketing field for its precision in accurately identifying the brands that are hot in the people’s minds, as well as a sense of competition.”

Whilst further adding that the Peoples Awards create a sense of interest in consumers as it reflects their opinions, in essence the People’s Awards is like a Gammy nomination for those in the business field and once again the people have chosen and all that is left for us to hear is their decision.”

In order to maintain fairness and ethical standards across the board, the survey spanned a period of five months and for the first time in its history the survey was also conducted in the North and East, where randomly selected males and females between the ages of 15 to 60 were interviewed.

The date for the survey was captured through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire by Nielsen field research officers who are specially trained to conduct interviews of this nature.

The survey commenced in September 2010 and ended in January 2011, with a total of 2,700 individuals having been interviewed throughout the Island.

Nielsen, Managing Director, Shaheen Cader commended that “marketing decisions should always be research biased, hence, this is an excellent partnership which decides where exactly a brand should be positioned in the consumer’s mind and how successfully it has been placed.” “I must say that we managed to include a sample from the North and East for the first time in Sri Lanka, we have discovered many interesting insights which we are planning to share with you all at the Awards ceremony and the information will also be available post-event, so I believe this is an excellent opportunity for the marketers in Sri Lanka to understand their customers,” Cader revealed.

This year’s awards are sponsored by Elephant House- KIK Cola and co-sponsored by Sunquick and DSI.