Dove for Men to be Unilever’s lead advert on new Apple platform
LONDON – Unilever will be the consumer goods presenting advertiser on the new iAD platform unveiled by Steve Jobs at Apple’s Worldwide Developers conference in California.
The announcement follows hard on the heels of the return of virtually all of Unilever’s top marketers from a visit to a host of major new media owners and developers on the West Coast of the US last month. The Apple deal marks the first of many developments that are anticipated from the trip.
Keith Weed, Unilever’s Chief Marketing Officer, who led the trip to the West Coast said, “It’s great to have been able to translate conversations from a month ago into concrete action so soon and to be at the forefront of something so innovative.
“Unilever has always been an innovator in advertising – from the first black & white and colour advertising on UK TV, to Dove ‘Evolution’ being the first online ad to win the Lion d’ Or at Cannes – and we are now leading marketing into the digital age where the key will be to unlock the potential of mobile.”
Fifty-five years on from airing the first ever television advertisement in the UK with Gibbs SR toothpaste, Dove for Men will be the first consumer product to be advertised on Apple’s new platform in July, with a new ad specifically designed to be shown on Apple’s suite of mobile devices.
Dove for Men will be the first in a series of Unilever brands expected to run ads on the new platform.
Architect of the Apple deal, Babs Rangaiah, Unilever’s Vice President Global Communications Planning said, “We know that 25 percent of the world is online now, but the next 75 percent will mostly get online via mobile – and mostly in D&E markets. This partnership will offer us the ability to work within what we believe will be the future of the mobile internet – APPS.”
About Unilever
Unilever works to create a better future every day. We help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others.
We are one of the world’s leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods with strong local roots in more than 100 countries. Our portfolio includes some of the world’s best known and most loved brands including eleven €1 billion brands, and global leadership in many categories in which we operate. The portfolio features iconic brands such as: Knorr, Lipton, Country Crock, Dove, Axe, Surf, Cif, Pot Noodle and Peperami.
We have around 163,000 employees in approaching 100 countries, and generated annual sales of €40 billion in 2009. For more information about Unilever and its brands, please visit www.unilever.com.
