CANNES: Unilever is to be named Advertiser of the Year at the 57th Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.
The company, which owns brands such as Dove, OMO, Lynx and Lipton, will claim the award at next month's festival.
The annual award recognises advertisers that have "distinguished themselves for inspiring innovative marketing of their products and who embrace and encourage the creative work produced by their agencies".
Unilever won its first Cannes Lion for OMO washing powder in 1961 and has picked up close to 200 Lions, including the Media Grand Prix in 2002 for "Magnum 7 Deadly Sins - Give In To It", and both the Cyber and Film Grand Prix in 2007 for Dove "Evolution".
Cannes Festival chairman Terry Savage said: "As one of the world's top consumer goods companies, millions of people around the globe are touched daily by the advertising of Unilever's brands. Over the years, their marketing has been renowned for embracing the creativity and innovation that has driven the powerful work that their agencies have produced."
Unilever chief marketing officer Keith Weed said: "It's a great honour to accept this award on behalf of Unilever. The long-standing relationships we have built with our agency partners over many years have enabled us to develop many striking - and more importantly - effective advertising campaigns.
"More than this, the depth of our relationships has engendered the trust required to foster the genuine strategic thinking, creativity and innovativeness that delivers both long-term brand equity and outstanding work," Webb added.
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