The crème de la crème of every industry in Sri Lanka recently gathered at Waters Edge for the 12th edition of the SLIM Nielsen Peoples Awards. Brand custodians, marketers, celebrities, insurance agents, bankers and financiers all gathered at one grand ceremony to see who among them had secured a place in the hearts of the public.
The only one of its kind in Sri Lanka, the winners of the SLIM Nielsen Peoples Awards are selected based on the preferences of the general public rather than the opinions of a panel of judges or the methodology of a set selection criteria. The awards are made up of 45 categories, two of which – the Fashion Retail Brand of the Year and FMCG Retail Brand of the Year – were introduced this year.
Securing the coveted title of Brand of the Year was Singer, which was also acclaimed as the Durable Brand of the Year. Ever-popular Sunlight walked away with not one but three awards – FMCG Brand of the Year, Household Care Brand of the Year and the Youth FMCG Brand of the Year. Elephant House Cream Soda claimed the awards of Beverage Brand of the Year and Youth Beverage Brand of the Year, while Wijaya Products was recognized as the Food Brand of the Year as well as the Youth Food Brand of the Year. Bank of Ceylon and People’s Bank tied for the position of Service Brand of the Year.
Dialog secured the awards of Telecom Service Provider of the Year and Internet Service Provider of the Year, whilst Derana and Hiru TV tied for the title of Television Channel of the Year. Hiru TV News was voted the News Provider of the Year. ‘Dharmayuddaya’ was acclaimed as the Film of the Year, while the Tele-drama of the Year award went to ‘Sidu’. Chamara Weerasinghe and Shashika Nisansala received the awards for the Male Singer of the Year and Female Singer of the Year respectively. It was a tie between Hemal Ranasinghe and Ranjan Ramanayake for the Actor of the Year award, while Malini Fonseka received the title of Actress of the Year. World famous cricketer, Lasith Malinga walked away with the Sports Person of the Year award.
Since 2006 the SLIM Nielsen Peoples Awards has been a much-anticipated event among those of the marketing, business, entertainment and financial industries as well as the general public. Created by the national body for marketing, the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) and Nielsen Sri Lanka, one of the leading global research agencies, the SLIM Nielsen Peoples Awards has made a profound impression in the hearts of the people of Sri Lanka.