Unilever VP Takes an Axe to Old Broadcasting Theories

Mr. George has been instrumental in identifying interactive, customized opportunities for brands such as Axe, Degree, Suave, Dove and Sunsilk over the last three years. Interactive TV has become an increasingly larger part of Unilever's corporate strategy, too, with more than 30 brands currently testing the technology. Now that the footprint is larger -- more than 70 million cable households have interactive capabilities -- marketers like Mr. George are finding the engagement metrics behind a clickable TV ad are far more compelling than rerunning the same 30-second spot.

Unilever's "Advanced" TV ads, as they're occasionally called, have appeared in a variety of forms, from interactive overlays during on-demand programming to text-message opt-in requests to clickable pre-roll ads. And sometimes don't appear in the form of ads at all. Earlier this year, the company created a full-length music video for Axe that aired on on-demand network Music Choice, featuring the fictional band the Bom Chicka Wah Wah's. The music video became one of the top 10 most requested for Music Choice and has already garnered more than 1 million hits on YouTube.

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