The agency has a long-standing relationship with the brand, which was won by Lintas in 1995. It created a series of ads for the brand featuring the stars of 'Birds of a Feather', Linda Robson and Pauline Quirke.
Lowe faced a repitch for the account in April this year against Mother, which it won. It has since created the '99 stains' work, as well as a television spot featuring the comedians Adam and Joe putting the designer Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen through a series of painful challenges to prove Surf's efficacy.
Matthew Bull, chief executive of Lowe, said: "We're obviously disappointed but we're as committed as ever, if not more committed, to produce brilliant work for Unilever. We wish BBH well on a great brand."
BBH already handles several other brands for Unilever, including Bertolli and Lynx, for which it created the popular dancing man spot for Pulse. Lowe will continue to work on other Lever Faberge Household brands, including Domestos and Cif.
Simon Clift, divisional marketing president at Unilever, said: "This move is part of our continuing plan to make BBH a key strategic partner, alongside Lowe, who remain our agency partners for the majority of Unilever's Home & Personal Care Division global brands."
Plans for a follow-up to the Adam and Joe ad will still go ahead, with the public voting on which celebrity they would most like to see tortured: Uri Geller, Jordan or Keith & Orville.
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