Unilever lauds communication channel partners

The Unilever Channel Cup for 2003 was awarded to MHz for their outstanding performance and commitment to innovative and successful communication project management. Deon Coetzee and Braam Nel received the award on behalf of their Media Agency.

Opening Unilever's second annual awards event Gail Klintworth, National Manager of Unilever South Africa and Chairman of Lever Pond's, said: "Creating strong and favourite brands is the lifeblood of our business, and successful partnerships with those who can help us deliver excellent brand communication and intimate consumer relationships are critical to our success."

She added: "Our central challenge remains to reach consumers in the most simple and effective way with the clearest and most relevant message, despite the media and message proliferation which currently clutters our lives. I'd like to congratulate each of our Channel Award partners on their contribution towards helping us resolve this challenge."

Acknowledging the importance of the link between the Consumer, the Brand and the Communication Channel in ensuring brand growth, Debbi Dale, Communication Channel Head: Unilever SA, said the choice of channels with which to communicate to the consumer has become phenomenal, and the support of the various stakeholders in assisting Unilever to grow its brands continues to keep pace with the way in which consumers think.

"Media fragmentation, changing consumers' lives and convenience technologies such as the Internet, the Personal Video Recorder, DVDs, mobile phones and computer games have changed the way consumers consume media," she said. "Consumers have become more selective, bypassing non-relevant content for their core interests and their passion points, and Brand Communication needs to tap into this.

"Unilever SA has the choice of many different channels with which to communicate with consumers and many of them are often more effective than traditional advertising, for example guerilla marketing, viral marketing, buzz, seeding, street and womb marketing are just a few channels which target the youth alone."

Ms Dale added: "What we are seeing is a change in the way the communication pie is split, and Brand Activation is gaining ground. It strengthens the emotional connection that brands can make with consumers and utilises big creative ideas across existing and new communication channels."

Unilever is the leading advertiser in South Africa's fast moving consumer goods arena and the objective of the Unilever Channel Awards is to reward Brand Communication Channel Excellence by recognising the CCP stakeholders from Media, Brand Marketing, Trade, Research, Channel and Brand Agencies who have not only applied strategic and "big" creative thinking, but who have also leveraged this via integrated innovative Brand Communication resulting in positive Brand Growth.

The winners of the 2003 Unilever Channel Awards are: