When Univision viewers tune in tonight for the premiere of Eva Luna at 8pm ET/PT, they will be treated to a dramatic tale of passion, romance, vengeance… and plenty of product integrations from marketers including General Motors, Domino’s Pizza and T-Mobile.
Eva Luna is the first primetime novela produced by Univision Studios in co-production with Venevision. It is also the first major attempt by Univision to weave products into its dramas, something the network couldn’t do with the series it imports from Mexico and which rival Telemundo has been doing for quite some time now.
The most significant integration is that of General Motors, which is using Eva Luna to pitch not one but three GM cars: the Chevy Cruze, the Chevy Traverse and the Buick Regal Turbo, all of which play a “significant role in the development of the drama,” Bridget Wanczyk, GM’s branded entertainment manager told Portada.
GM has bought ads on Univision and Univision.com in the past, but this is the first time it gets involved from the very beginning of a drama, featuring its vehicles as part of the story line. “The Chevy Cruz, for example, plays a very important role in the way Eva and Daniel meet,” says Wanczyk.
As for the Buick Regal, Eva Luna takes it one step beyond. The protagonist, beautiful young Eva, inherits an advertising agency, which at some point pitches –and wins- the Buick Regal account. Her shop then crafts a :30 TV commercial for the vehicle and the spot then airs during actual commercial breaks on Univision.
Other sponsors include Domino’s Pizza, which in addition to integrate products in the story, will sponsor pre-show teasers throughout the run of the novela, reminding viewers to order their pizza in time for the show. T-Mobile will use Eva Luna to showcase several new exclusive mobile devices. Eva Luna “creates a powerful opportunity for our partners to engage with Hispanic America in primetime,” said David Lawenda, Univision’s president of advertising sales and marketing, in a statement.
Financials were not disclosed, but GM’s Wanczyk says the Eva Luna placement represented a “significant investment” for the automaker. These partnerships are also expected to extend to Univison.com, which will be running full episodes of Eva Luna one day after they air on the network.
Univision worked with the clients agencies: Conill (T-Mobile) and LatinWorks (General Motors and Domino’s Pizza).
