Unilever Axe is Clio 2006 Advertiser of the Year

NEW YORK: The international Clio Awards has named the Axe brand deodorant from Unilever as recipient of its 2006 Advertiser of the Year award. The annual Clio Awards Advertiser of the Year honor is given to a client who achieves creative leadership and consistently demonstrates a commitment to creative innovation in advertising.

This eighth annual Advertiser of the Year award will be presented at the upcoming 47th international Clio Awards Festival, to be held 13 - 16 May 2006 in South Beach, Miami. Previous winners have included Anheuser-Busch, Guinness, Volkswagen, Ikea, Nike and Sony Computer Entertainment America (PlayStation).

"Unilever's Axe is a brand that exhibited courage in developing edgy, breakthrough creative work worldwide," says Ami Brophy, executive director, Clio Awards. "They have true insight into their audience and have implemented a highly creative, media-agnostic advertising approach to successfully build the Axe brand into a market icon."

Brophy adds that the client's multi-disciplined approach to global marketing is reflected in the number of Clio Award entries submitted in recent years on behalf of the brand. Several agencies from around the world entered a variety of work for Axe in 2006.

"Key to the success of Axe is our emphasis on developing memorable and innovative ways to showcase the brand across all media, including television, print, gaming, interactive media, PR, sponsorships and live events," explains Russell Taylor, Global Axe vice president, Unilever. "We are delighted and honored to have this global effort recognised by the Clio Awards."

Many events are planned at the Clio Awards Festival, including the opening night Hall of Fame reception, the Lifetime Achievement and Advertiser of the Year award presentation, creative workshops and seminars, two awards galas and screenings of the Clio TV Shortlist.