The win is the first digital project won by the agency following a pitch against an undisclosed shortlist of specialist digital shops. It marks the first time that Unilever has embarked on a unified strategy for Lynx/Axe across Europe.
The appointment will come as a blow to Dare, which has handled a number of high-profile digital projects for the Lynx brand in recent years, and in which BBH holds a minority stake. Dare did not pitch for the brief.
BBH has handled the above-the-line advertising for the Lynx brand since 1995. Its most recent campaigns for the deodorant include "click", which starred Ben Affleck, and "billions", in which countless bikini-clad women are drawn towards a man liberally dousing himself with the spray as he stands on a beach.
The BBH executive creative director, John O'Keeffe, said: "A couple of years ago, we might have been at a disadvantage in a pitch like this, simply for lack of having the digital craft skills in-house. We now have that capability, whereupon this, and any other digital pitch for that matter, comes down to the same question that decides any such process: 'who has the best idea?'"
The European brand manager for Lynx, Chris Barron, said: "Digital is a hugely important part of our consumers' lives and we're reflecting this in our ongoing strategy. We want to engage guys with content that's relevant and entertaining."
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