There’s no business like Best of Show business. As fishing holds its annual industry-only fete this week in ICAST, the product awards remain one of the major features.
Companies work all year, sometimes several years, to bring their latest and greatest stuff to the New Product Showcase at the world’s largest tackle show. The awards are a focal point of the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades in Orlando this week, where 12,000 representatives of the global fishing industry converge.
The new products up for awards are displayed in an area initially open only to media and buyers, who vote on their favorites. Leaving with a Best of Show award in one of the 24 categories can be hugely beneficial to that company and the product’s success.
“First, most media outlets report on the category winners, and that editorial coverage itself is huge, especially since by definition the products are new,” said Gary Abernathy, marketing manager for LIVETARGET, maker of lifelike lures. “This added impact of media attention in photography, reporting, and marquee positioning sure jump-starts interest in the product, and sometimes that lasts for several months.
“Secondly, the Best of Show award gives credibility and gains interest of retailers. Since LIVETARGET sells exclusively via retailers, being able to discuss merchandising and incremental sales programs is much easier with the status of the ICAST award.”
LIVETARGET has won five Best of Show awards in the past 6 years, and its team members say the awards provide valuable benefits. Company founder Grant Koppers and crew started their run of lifelike winners in 2010 with a Best of Show for their Hollow Body Frog. A Hollow Body Mouse followed then a Frog Popper. In 2013, the BaitBall series won. The only gap came in 2014, when Koppers Fishing and Tackle Corp. was developing last year’s winner, the Hollow Body Sunfish.
“It’s getting more challenging,” Koppers said for this article. “Fifteen years ago it didn’t mean as much to win an award. ICAST is it now. This is a red carpet event.”
Abernathy said the BaitBall series created the most immediate sales impact. It offered a radical design as well as lines of baits for both freshwater and saltwater species. Koppers said the Sunfish was almost three years in the making, with extensive research and feedback coming from Elite Series anglers Stephen Browning and David Walker. Abernathy said they’re having trouble keeping up with orders on the Sunfish, which comes in two sizes and an array of colors to match sunfish across the country.
“The Best of Show designation just jump-starts the whole sales process,” Abernathy said. “Retailers get more interested to allocate shelf space for something new and innovative, the sales organization has something bold to discuss in presentations, and of course consumers hear about the winners. It puts the product in the spotlight to provide a boost to the launch.”
What is it specifically about a product to earn Best of Show awards? There are a variety of attributes that draw votes. Sure, there’s all the bigger, better, stronger, lighter, smaller, faster, etc., but Abernathy thinks it’s getting outside the box.
“Looking back over the past six years, I think the biggest contributor to our success has been that our entries have been ‘industry shaping’ in innovation,” Abernathy said. “We first showed with our Hollow Body Frog how truly lifelike you could create a lure if you focused on every minute detail.
“Our BaitBall concept presented not just one lure, but a whole family of lures that represented exactly what anglers have seen in the water. Last year, the Sunfish was a combination of anatomy and color detail plus fantastic action. In the end, voters want to see innovation, and that just happens to be a huge part of the LIVETARGET mantra.”
Innovation is on the minds of many this week. Media and buyers both will look to uncover those special breakout items that will make their way into retail stores, households and on the water.
Bassmaster.com will be there in full force this week, bringing you new products, trends and the people of the industry through stories, photos and video.
Need an early tackle fix, then check out this sneak peak of products. To learn more about what the show is all about, check out “ICAST showcases industry savvy.”
