Elsie Awards
2011
Award Selection Process:
The Elsie Selection Committee is comprised of representatives from various divisions and
departments, including:
1. Supply Chain
2.Retail
3.Wholesale
4. Policy and Government Relations
5. Corporate Communications
6.Category Management,
including all LCBO business units
7. And Marketing…
Elsie Selection Committee
This diverse committee, represents a cross section of the LCBO’s interaction with all of our Trade Partners.
Earlier this year, using predetermined nomination criteria, representatives of appropriate divisions
gathered information regarding potential award recipients. The 17-person multi-divisional committee
held the final selection meeting on April 13th. After reviewing nomination submissions for each Elsie
Award, an open vote by all committee members was held, and the nominee with the most votes was
declared the winner.
A slight variation was held for the Partnership Awards, as these winners are the result of a more direct
relationship with certain divisions. A selection and voting process was conducted that included only
personnel from the appropriate department or division. The selected recipient along with any other
nominations were presented to the full selection committee on April 13th.
The 2011 Elsie Awards introduced one change to the awards categories. The Best Image Award has been
renamed Best Integrated Marketing Program.
Below please find a list detailing some of the criteria used for each award, during the selection process.
Award Criteria:
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
• Gives something back to the community i.e. funds, time, awareness, resources.
• Promotes responsible consumption.
• Gives something positive to society.
BEST SPECIAL EVENT
• Best overall presentation/integration (i.e. innovative food matching, music, entertainment,
celebrity participation, etc.)
• Best integration to in-store thematic.
• Best consumer response.
BEST FOOD & DRINK AD
• Best creative execution.
• Best demonstration of originality/innovation.
• Demonstrated knowledge/use of the unique nature of FOOD & DRINK and its readership to
deliver the brand message.
BEST GIFT ITEM – Spirits & Ready-to-Drink/Wines/Beers/Vintages (4 Awards)
• Innovative and unique.
• Solid sales and sell-through.
• Wide appeal.
• Solution driven.
BEST ON-PREMISE SUPPORT
• Build the business – increase sales.
• Communication with LCBO to ensure smooth execution in all facets of the promotion.
• Licensee participation; e.g. staff training and involvement.
BEST NICHE MARKETING
• Solid promotion to a niche market.
• Build the business – increase sales.
• Communication with LCBO to ensure smooth execution in all facets of the promotion.
• Licensee participation; e.g. staff training
and involvement.
ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENT
• Raises funds for environmental cause.
• Raises awareness of environmental issues.
• Promotes a positive environmental action; i.e., recycle, re-use, etc.
PARTNERSHIP AWARD – Spirits & Ready-to-Drink /Wines/Beers/Vintages (4 Awards)
• An individual who has an excellent working relationship with the full category team.
• An individual who keeps the category team informed of product developments and meets deadlines.
• Interacts with the category on a regular basis, alerts us to any potential issues and works proactively
to solve them.
PARTNERSHIP AWARD – Retail
• An individual who has demonstrated a consistently superior relationships with the Retail Team.
• An individual who works well with our Retail staff, providing solid support for new listings and
existing brands.
• An individual who has a reputation for dealing with all levels of store employees in a respectful,
business-like manner.
PARTNERSHIP AWARD – Supply Chain
• Has an excellent working relationship with the LCBO Business Unit and provides superior customer service levels,
minimizing stock-outs.
• Achieves high order fill rates, on time deliveries, and forecast accuracy metrics.
• Communicates effectively with the Merchandising Team, informing them of any potential issues.
• Supports the Business Unit and Supply Chain objectives.
PARTNERSHIP IN TRAINING AWARD
• A trade association/company that works with the LCBO to jointly develop training plans that support each other’s
business objectives.
• Partners with the LCBO to provide resources (financial, human, etc.) for developing and delivering specific
employee training programs/job-aids targeted at increasing the knowledge and skills of our retail store employees.
VINTAGES PORTFOLIO AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
• Delivers a portfolio that drives sales growth and supports the Vintages mission of having an ever-changing
product assortment.
• The products offered and supported are innovative, diverse, and cross categories and product types.
VQA EXCELLENCE AWARD
• Year over year growth in sales, litres and units for the winery’s products.
• Has successful and innovative product introductions.
• Engages in creative and frequent promotional activity. (IMAGE, tastings, special events, media, out-of-store, etc.)
BEST INTEGRATED MARKETING PROGRAM – Spirits & Ready-to-Drink/Wines/Beers (3 Awards)
• A well integrated program.
• An IMAGE program that resulted in great sales lift.
• An IMAGE program that was interesting, different and/or unique.
BEST NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH – Spirits & Ready-to-Drink/Wines/Beers (3 Awards)
• An excellent product – well researched with customers, unique and innovative,
meets an identified need.
• A product launch that resulted with great sales.
• A product launch that was launched with solid LCBO programming: IMAGE, FOOD & DRINK ad.
• A product launch that was well promoted externally.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD
• An individual with significant years of service within the beverage alcohol industry.
• An individual who has influence on the industry and is dedicated to the industry.
• An individual who is a leader of innovation and an agent of change.
• An individual who is an industry leader (pioneer).
• An individual who supports the LCBO and industry initiatives.
SUPPLIER/AGENT OF THE YEAR AWARD
• A Supplier/Agent that is innovative through their promotional programming and
product gift development.
• A Supplier/Agent that has a high level of integrity and respects the LCBO code of conduct.
• A Supplier/Agent that works well with the LCBO on many levels (e.g. product, inventory,
licensee, promotion etc.)
• Supports LCBO Social Responsibility and Environmental initiatives.
SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY
BEST SPECIAL EVENT
BEST FOOD & DRINK AD
BEST GIFT ITEM –
Spirits & Ready-to-Drink
BEST GIFT ITEM – Wines
Lifford-Schiralli Agencies
Diageo Canada Captains of Summer
Charton Hobbs Canada Santa
Carolina Carmenère Reserva
Corby Distilleries Limited
Malibu By U
Corby Distilleries Limited
Jacob’s Creek Multi Pack
BEST GIFT ITEM – Beers
BEST GIFT ITEM –
VINTAGES
BEST ON-PREMISE
SUPPORT
BEST NICHE
MARKETING
ENVIRONMENTAL
COMMITMENT
Mill Street Brewery Mini Brew Pub
Seasonal Sampler Pack
Prevedello and Mathews International
Wine and Spirits Mazzetti D’Altavilla S.R.L. Amerigo Vespucci Pourer
Lifford-Schiralli Agencies Licensee
Co-op Tasting at Arc Hotel - Ottawa
E&J Gallo Winery Canada LTD.
Barefoot Cellars Pride Parade Program
Black Fly Beverage Company
On-going Green Initiatives
PARTNERSHIP AWARD – PARTNERSHIP AWARD – PARTNERSHIP AWARD – PARTNERSHIP AWARD – PARTNERSHIP AWARD –
Vintages
Spirits & Ready-to-Drink
Beers
Wines
Retail
Hillary Dawson & Wendy Cheropita
Wine Country Ontario
Marty Fruchtman Woodman
Wines & Spirits
Liliana Pavicic
Roland + Russell Canada
Geoff McFadzean Wine Australia
Francois Perrin Vincor Canada
PARTNERSHIP AWARD –
Supply Chain
PARTNERSHIP IN
TRAINING AWARD
2010 - 2011
VINTAGES PORTFOLIO
AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
VQA
EXCELLENCE AWARD
Corby Distilleries Limited
Wine Country Ontario
WOW Leader Program
Halpern Enterprises
Vincor Canada
BEST INTEGRATED MARKETING
PROGRAM – Spirits & Ready-to-Drink
BEST INTEGRATED MARKETING
PROGRAM – Wines
BEST INTEGRATED MARKETING
PROGRAM – Beer
BEST NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH –
Spirits & Ready-to-Drink
BEST NEW PRODUCT
LAUNCH – Wines
Brown-Forman Canada
Jack Daniel’s 160th Birthday Campaign
Wines of Argentina & Wines of Chile
P13 Argentina & Chile
Diageo Canada
Red Stripe “Lime Free Since 1928”
Campaign
Authentic Wines and Spirits
Sobieski Vodka
Vinaio Wine Merchants Mille Lire
Rosso Montepulciano D’Abruzzo
BEST NEW PRODUCT
LAUNCH – Beers
SPECIAL
RECOGNITION AWARD
SUPPLIER/AGENT
OF THE YEAR – Class A
SUPPLIER/AGENT
OF THE YEAR – Class B
SUPPLIER/AGENT
OF THE YEAR – Class C
Mill Street Brewery Mill Street
Lemon Tea Beer
Paul Bosc Senior
Château des Charmes
Black Fly Beverage Company
Pelee Island Winery
Corby Distilleries Limited
Elsie Survey
Thank you for participating in the completion of the Elsie Survey. It helps to focus efforts on making positive
changes to each subsequent Elsie ceremony. The Elsie Committee.
Elsie Survey Highlights:
More Trade attendees
felt that their expectations were exceeded than was felt by LCBO attendees.
Very few felt that the event did not meet their expectations. A common reason was that they felt the event
was rushed and lacked excitement.
The Opening Remarks by Kate and Paul were well received by the attendees, receiving the highest top two box score.
The venue was well liked by most and the format of the event was appreciated. Opinions concerning the Salute
theme appeared to be more polarized.
Two thirds of the respondents liked the condensed event format.
The majority of attendees preferred the afternoon event. This has remained consistent for the past 3 years.
• Overall, the efficiency and time of the event was well received, similar to last year.
• A
s in previous years, there was a divide in the opinions of the Trade and LCBO attendees. The Trade attendees
had a higher appreciation of the overall organization of the event.
• T
he Venue remains a success in the opinions of both the Trade and the LCBO. Most wanted to return to the
Palais Royal next year. Similar to previous years, the interest in staging a condensed format event in the
afternoon remained a popular option for most.
• In a change from last year piano music was played during the awards. This brought in mixed reviews with
some preferring pre-recorded theme music instead. Overall, the opinions on the piano music versus the
pre-recorded music were divided.
• T
he theme of the Elsie’s received mixed reviews. The lower score could be due to unfamiliarity with having a
theme as there has not been one in 3 years.
• T
here was interest by some of the attendees to remove the break feeling that it slowed down the event.
However, two thirds of the attendees who responded to the survey felt the break time was ‘Just Right’.
Should the event continue to have a break, it should ensure that it is short and does not reduce the efficiency
and mood of the awards.
• T
his year, the attendees appreciated having the award information on the screen while the award was being
presented. This should be continued in the future. This may also provide encouragement for other Trade
attendees to aspire to these awards.
• S
imilar to previous years, there was some confusion around the bar process. Some suggestions to improve this
included having a non-alcohol beverage bar, and having the indoor bars open to reduce congestion.