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Marketer Interview: Dana Ortiz, Syfy VP of Brand Marketing

Entertainment marketing is a hot category in Hispanic advertising. (For example, check out our recent Marketer Interview column on Starz Entertainment’ effort to promote its new channel Encore Español.)

Content

Entertainment marketing is a hot category in Hispanic advertising. (For example, check out our recent Marketer Interview column on Starz Entertainment’ effort to promote its new channel Encore Español.)

Cable television and science fiction channel Syfy recently undertook an interesting campaign. Portada talked to Dana Ortiz, Syfy VP of Brand Marketing (photo) about the campaign in further detail.

The Product:
Syfy, formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wresting and horror programming.  It is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBC Universal. Syfy has a movie programming channel in Spanish 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in an uncut and commercial-free format.

Subproduct-The Hispanic Teaser:
Syfy saw an opportunity with the launch of a new series that had a cast that reflected what America looks like today. The genre and the Superhero and aspirational themes of the series ("Impossible Is What they Do Best") were also a fit with the Hispanic community.                                    

Objective of the Campaign:
To bring a new and younger audience to the Channel. This group represents second generation Hispanics who speak English (as their first language) as well as Spanish, and are very close to the culture.

Campaign Target:
Hispanics

Campaign Creative:

The acculturated outreach was mapped out with targeted ads in New York, Dallas, Miami, Houston, Chicago and Los Angeles, with a focus on TV, online and radio. Syfy was accurately aware of the regional differences in each market and hired affiliates to produce broadcast spots specifically for the Cuban community in Miami, Puerto Rican communities of New York and the Mexican communities of Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles, respectively. Moreover, As the Hispanic culture is family oriented, Syfy made sure to also have a presence at major sporting events such as South America's soccer tournament Copa America, as well as music and community events.  

… and Media Targeted outlets include:  

*  Univision, MUN2 and Telemundo  
*   AOL Latino, Yahoo! En Espanol, Batanga and Pandora (audio ads)  
*   TV one/Radio One and hyper local radio stations (spots were > created tied to local community events)  

Agencies used
Media planning agency – Fallon
Media buying agency – HMI (Broadcast), Ignited (Digital)
Creative agency – Blanco Lorenz    

Results/Expected Results:
“Our biggest results were a internal buy-in for future campaigns as a result of tripling the time slot, outdoing two other shows on the same night and besting our competition,” Dana Ortiz, Syfy VP of Brand Marketing. “This was a previously untapped market for Syfy and paid off with  Hispanic viewership growing by 52% and topping Syfy's primetime Hispanic average by 89% in 3Q'11 and up by 113% in 2Q'11, even beating out competitive cable scripted series on TNT (Leverage) and FX (Rescue Me) during 3Q'11 among Hispanics ages 18-49. “This trend will continue as a  concerted effort will be placed on the second season of "Being Human" and reality programming including "Face Off" and "WWE smackdown.", Ortiz concludes.

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