Indiantelevision.com Team

(12 February 2008 3:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Procter & Gamble has won the Advertiser of the Year award at the 55th Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.

The award is given to advertisers who have distinguished themselves for inspiring innovative marketing of their products and who embrace and encourage the creative work produced by their agencies. Last year's winner was Honda.

The Cincinnati-based company spent more than $8 billion on advertising last year.

"Five years ago, Procter & Gamble made a public commitment to embrace creativity to drive their marketing.

This public commitment was a message to their agencies and to the people who work in their agencies, and resulted in many thousands of column inches being written about this initiative in the world press.

The vision materialised in 2007 when P&G won 14 Lions at Cannes, including the coveted Press Lions Grand Prix. There can be no greater commitment to the cause of Creativity than that displayed by P&G and we are delighted to be awarding them this prestigious honour," said festival chairman Terry Savage.

"We are humbled by this terrific honour," Stengel said. "We are inspired every year by the great work and ideas we experience at the festival.

To be named 2008 Advertiser of the Year is an accomplishment we're proud to share with all of our agencies who touch P&G brands. They have been key partners for us."

Duracell, Gillette, Pampers, Pantene, Pringles, Olay and Oral-B are some of P&G's global brands.