Brits bag seven at Popai ‘Oscars’

British companies walked off with seven “Oscars” at last week’s Point of Purchase Advertising Institute (Popai) annual awards.

NDI Creative Display picked up two gold Oscars – one in the Leisure & Culture category for a film information display for 20th Century Fox and the second in the publishing category for a vertical news display created for News International.

Diam International was awarded a gold Oscar in the perfumes and cosmetics category for a Max Factor mobile tester merchandiser for Procter & Gamble.

The same merchandiser was also given a bronze Oscar in the technical prize category.

Kesslers International received two awards: it won a silver in the food and drink category for its Pepsi Blue Floor standing unit; its second prize was in the perfume and cosmetics category with a bronze for its Terracotta Tester display created for Guerlain SA.

Finally, RTC Europe picked up a silver Oscar in the fashion and textile category for the agency’s Nike Vendor Shop Footwear fixture.

A panel of 93 advertising and marketing managers across Europe judged the entries, which were whittled down from 300 entries. A total of 85 Oscars were awarded at a dinner held at the Pavillon d’Armenonville in Paris on January 31.

The judges marked each entry according to eight criteria: aesthetic quality; originality and innovation; adaptation to the product; the choice of materials and techniques used; quality of manufacturing and finishing; promotional value; suitability to the distribution network; and overall impact and effectiveness.

The awards covered 23 retailing categories. There was an increased selection of POP materials for telecommunications, reflecting changing retailing trends.

David Williams, chairman of Popai Europe, comments: “These awards are truly the very best of Europe’s point-of-purchase designs. We were delighted with the number of entries, which shows just how dramatically our industry is growing.”

The UK was represented by eight judges from Cadbury, Duracell, L’Oréal, Lego, MCM, News International, Reckitt & Colman and Procter & Gamble.