Nielsen unveils Breakthrough Innovations

While brands continue to lose market share to store brands in grocery and other retail segments, they are not dead. Market researcher Nielsen recently identified its 2018 Top 25 Breakthrough Innovations list for the U.S. market. Nielsen calls its list “the gold standard in recognizing innovation success.”

“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,” Nielsen said in a press release. “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.”

"In today's climate, the marketplace is more crowded than ever, so the pressure to innovate is immense," says Jenny Frazier, senior vice president 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. … 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."

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: