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Wed Jan 16, 7:58 PM ET
"The idea of offering an experiential way that consumers can connect and relate to brands is there," Mizrahi said. "What's new, is that we can go one step further: We can allow people to understand what Sprint is with a very tangible product with features that let you download, stream and purchase. It's the marriage of branded entertainment with our mobile technology."
The Sprint deal is the latest manifestation of a trend taking place in the mainstream and Hispanic markets: In a return to a very old model (remember Texaco Star Theater?) with a 21st century twist that includes Internet and mobile components, advertisers are looking to leapfrog TiVo and insinuate themselves directly into the entertainment. But trying to calibrate the approach to get the message across without being heavy-handed can be a challenge and many marketers are still new to the practice, so funds are often scarce.
Because measured product integration isn't tracked for Hispanic media, it's not clear exactly how much of this marketing category is being generated in the Latino space. Some marketers and the ad agencies that have partnered to develop branded entertainment noted that increasingly it is part of their planning as they look for creative ways to keep consumers tuned in to their messaging. Still, for most in Hispanic marketing, the concept of branded entertainment and the related product integration appears to be in the very early stages.
"It's a very exciting new sandbox--a new canvas--that can broaden our means of expression," said Luis Miguel Messianu, president and chief creative officer at Alma DDB, Coral Gables, Fla., whose agency teamed with Fire and Dieste Harmel to create the product-placement integrated Telemundo telenovela Dame Chocolate.
Examples of Hispanic-focused branded entertainment efforts are numerous. At Yahoo! Telemundo, the digital side took the lead in 2007 in a partnership with GMC, creating content that integrated the automaker's Sierra pickup into a six-week on-demand online home improvement reality series Gana Mi Casa (Win My House.)
The shows, which were created for a digital audience, were later showcased during weekend TV programming in a dual platform deal on the Telemundo network, said Borja Perez, alliance leader of Yahoo! Telemundo. "The advertiser gained a huge advantage in being able to interlink the Internet audience with the TV audience," he added.
Integration even played a theme in the program's title, which fortuitously enough, has the same initials as GMC. The program featured different Latino families being rewarded with a home makeover in 2- to 5-minute daily video segments. A sweepstakes program also awarded an online or TV viewer a GMC vehicle and a $10,000 Lowe's gift card.
Perez said he expects branded entertainment opportunities to grow at Yahoo! Telemundo, with the digital side mounting an aggressive effort in 2008 to grow its business in the area of branded entertainment by as much as 50%. Moreover, Perez pointed to tech-savvy Hispanics' affinity for mobile and digital devices as a key reason marketers will want to expand their media platforms to include more branded entertainment vehicles for their products.
That makes sense: U.S. Hispanics over-index in their use and consumption of mobile devices and technologies, spending more money than the general market on wireless devices and downloading videos three times more often than non-Hispanics, per Forrester Research, Cambridge, Mass.
It's part of the reason why bicultural youth-focused MTV Tr3s has been at the forefront of producing creative branded programming for television, though the category remains a small portion of the business for the still fledgling channel.
"The way viewers are watching and engaging with media is very different today," said MTV Tr3s svp and gm Lucia Ballas-Traynor. "And the 30-second spot is no longer enough to capture their attention. That's especially true among young people."
Ballas-Traynor said the media, along with marketers, "are trying to redefine the way that viewers experience commercial time, and engage them more, or increase ad engagement in places other than commercial breaks."
She added that MTV's vast experience tells them that young people don't want to be interrupted with ad messages so they welcome a totally interactive ad message that's part of their overall interaction with the channel.
One recent branded entertainment piece is a TV spot for Toyota, created by Conill Advertising, that is tied into a special Mi TRL Spankin' New Week. In the spot, VJ Carlos Santos is on a mission to uncover the secret package containing the info on Spankin' New Week, and in the process showcases all of the new features of the Toyota Yaris.
The risk for content providers and marketers, Ballas-Traynor said, is being too subtle with the message and in failing to connect with the audience. Still, a bigger issue, she says, is that advertisers haven't yet committed the investment in creating branded entertainment content.
Yet at Univision, the network has been rolling out high-profile programs, including the Jennifer Lopez created and produced, limited-run series Como Ama Una Mujer. The serial, which aired late in 2007, was inspired by the lyrics of Lopez's first Spanish-language album of the same name released early last year.
The story follows a woman's journey to find her true soul mate, but with her glamorous life and professional success come heartbreak and betrayals that threaten to break her spirit. At the end of each episode, Lopez was featured in an exclusive musical performance of one of the songs from the album that inspired the series.
Program sponsors included Chevy, which was involved significantly in providing integrated programs for the series. Chevy vehicles featured in the show included the Tahoe, Silverado and a Corvette.
"The cars are integrated almost organically in the storyline," said Cynthia Price, Chevy's multicultural marketing manager. "One of the characters will drive up in the car and they will get out and pull something out of the trunk, which shows some functionality."
The partnership included TV and a digital component aimed at Latinas who are the novela's primary viewing audience and the decision-makers in the home, with Chevy giving away a new Malibu-to be presented by Jennifer Lopez-to a viewer this March via a sweepstakes program designed to drive viewers online.
"Univision is an important player in the Hispanic community, especially with viewers who watch novelas," said Price. "It seemed like it was a good marriage for Chevrolet, Jennifer Lopez and Univision to partner up." Through November 2007, GMC Trucks have spent $10.3 million in domestic Hispanic TV, compared to $12.1 million for all of 2006, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.
On Jan. 10, Univision launched its new series Amas de Casa Desesperadas, the Spanish-language version of the ABC hit series Desperate Housewives, which also was expected to include some product integration, though a screener of the premiere episode wasn't available to confirm prior to presstime.
With marketers recognizing the opportunity to connect directly with consumers, industry watchers anticipate that branded marketing will emerge as a growth market.
"The potential is amazing," said Sprint's Mizrahi. "We're in the 21st century of branded entertainment with technology and social networks--what's going to be the impact? People will need to find a way to be naturally connected with each other in a relevant way. That's an exciting thing and it's one of the things that we're going to be seeing more of in the next few years." HMR
-- By Della de Lafuente
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