diff --git a/atreal_openads/models.py b/atreal_openads/models.py
index 5b1c4e8..98257b8 100644
--- a/atreal_openads/models.py
+++ b/atreal_openads/models.py
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ def normalize(value):
     """Normalize a value to be send to openADS.API."""
     if value is None:
         return ''
-    return clean_spaces(str(value))
+    return clean_spaces(unicode(value))
 
 
 def get_file_data(path, b64=True):