Nominations are now being sought for the 2010 ETO Adult Industry Awards. Full details of the award categories for this year can be found below, and all registered users of www.erotictradeonly.com can nominate their favourite people, products and suppliers (and even themselves) by clicking www.erotictradeonly.com/etoawards/
There are 21 awards earmarked for 2010, including several new categories: Best Erotic Book Brand, Best Online Resource and Best Online Affiliate Programme. In addition, there are now two awards which ‘bricks and mortar’ retailers can win; Best Retail Chain, for those with three or more branches, and Best Individual Store, which is open to standalone retailers as well as flagship outlets of national chains.
Commenting on the new award categories, ETO editor Dale Bradford said: “We all know how important the online space has become to the UK adult industry and I’m delighted that our awards will now recognise the best blogs, forums and review sites, as well as the contribution made by the many companies who run affiliate schemes. We’re also pleased to introduce the Best Erotic Book Brand for 2010. Books are a staple product line for a growing number of adult retailers, online and on the High Street.”
In previous years there has been an award for Best Retailer and the ETO’s Mystery Shopper has also chosen the best individual store that she has visited during the past twelve months. “While the Mystery Shopper award was highly prized, it could not be retained by the previous winner, and the many other outstanding stores that exist in the UK, which had not been visited, were not eligible to win it,” Bradford said. “We feel that introducing a Best Individual Store award, and allowing ETO readers to vote for it, will be fairer to all.”
The closing date for nominations is April 8th. After this date the shortlists will be compiled and voting for the winners of the 2010 awards can commence.
The ETO 2010 Adult Industry Awards will take place at the NEC, Birmingham, on the evening of July 4th. The award categories for 2010 are as follows:
PRODUCTS
It’s the products that keep the tills ringing and support the supply chain, and a product that is recognised by ETO readers can further benefit by calling itself award-winning. You might want to consider products that have performed best at retail, display technical excellence in some area or which just look and feel better than their competitors.
Best R18 DVD – Open to any R18 DVD released in the UK after March 2009.
Best Gay R18 DVD – Open to any gay R18 DVD released in the UK after March 2009.
Best Adult Product – Open to any adult product released in the UK after March 2009.
Best Consumable – Any adult product which is sold on a regular basis, such as a brand of lube, condom or aroma, can be nominated in this category, and your nomination can be for a new product or an ‘evergreen’.
BRANDS
Recognised brands give consumers confidence in the products that contain their trademark, and should guarantee repeat business. For your nominations in this category you might like to consider those brands which deliver consistently good products, how they are marketed and packaged or simply those that sell the best for you.
Best Film Brand – Open to all publishers of R18 DVDs.
Best Gay Film Brand – Open to all publishers of gay DVDs.
Best Sex Toy Brand – Open to all sex toy brands.
Best Erotic Book Brand – Open to all publishers of erotic books, factual or fiction.
Best Erotic Clothing Brand – Open to all brands of erotic clothing, such as lingerie, costumes or fetish wear.
DISTRIBUTORS
Distributors are the link between the retailer and the manufacturer and a good supplier can mean the difference between struggling to pay the bills each month and turning a healthy profit. You might want to choose your nominations based on products or brands carried, depth of stock, order fulfilment or levels of customer service.
Best R18 DVD Distributor – Open to all distributors of R18 DVDs.
Best Erotic Goods Distributor – Open to all distributors of adult products.
Best Overseas Distributor – Open to all suppliers which are not based in the UK.
Best Lingerie Distributor – Open to all distributors of erotic clothing.
RETAIL & ONLINE
The best retailers are ambassadors for us all as it is through consumers’ dealings with retail – online or High Street – that they judge the adult industry and its products. In nominating your favourite retailer you might want to consider how they do business with you, how they present themselves on the High Street or in the online space and how they represent the industry in their PR and marketing. The new online awards aim to recognise the contribution made by those who offer affiliate schemes and those which provide online resources and services to the trade.
Best Retail Chain – Open to all ‘bricks and mortar’ adult retailers, licensed or unlicensed, who have three or more branches.
Best Individual Store – Open to any ‘bricks and mortar’ adult retailer, licensed or unlicensed. Your nomination can be for a retailer that trades from a single branch or the flagship store of a national chain.
Best Online Retailer – Open to all Internet-based retailers of adult products.
Best Online Resource – Open to all adult sites which are useful to the trade. Your nomination could be for a blog, a reviews site, a special interest forum, a dedicated news site, a supplier’s own site or any other site which helps you run your business.
Best Online Affiliate Programme – Open to all firms who run affiliate programmes which third parties can profit from, be they sex toy retailers, VOD suppliers, porn star membership sites or special interest sites etc.
SPECIAL AWARDS
The adult industry is fortunate in that it benefits from some of the most forward thinking suppliers in any sector, as well as some of the best people around, and the final three awards recognise this.
Innovation in Adult – Open to people, products or companies which have introduced an element of innovation to the market in the last twelve months which has obvious benefits over what has gone before. Your nomination could be for a new type of vibrator, a new application of technology, a new type of marketing campaign, a new way of doing business or even a new form of packaging.
Best Sales Team – This award allows retailers, web traders and party planners to express their appreciation for the sales team, or indeed sales person, who they most enjoy dealing with. Your nomination might deliver a speedy service, demonstrate in-depth product knowledge, help you out with pricing or goods which are in heavy demand or even just cheer you up when you speak to them.
Services To The Industry – The criteria for selection is that the person nominated must have made a substantial contribution to the adult industry as a whole, either directly or indirectly, over a significant period of time. Your nomination can be for any individual person, but not a company or product.
