__twocolumncontent.jpg)
Earlier this year, Univision Communications was gearing up for the first road-blocked original dramatic series launch in U.S. Hispanic media history.
“La Viuda Negra” (“The Black Widow”) was an important moment for the company, because it marked the first series that Univision felt was right on target for its year-old UniMás brand aimed at a younger, bicultural, millennial audience.
The series, which chronicles the life of the infamous “Cocaine Godmother” Griselda Blanco of ‘70s and ‘80s Miami, seemed a perfect fit for the edgier, male-oriented brand that the company was trying to create for UniMás.
And the decision to simulcast the premiere across the company’s three U.S. networks—Univision, UniMás, and Galavision—underscored its importance to the company.
But with UniMás being so new to consumers, the marketing team at Univision wanted to get some feedback on the brand itself as it was preparing for such a high-profile launch.
So they decided to hit the clubs. And then raid them, DEA-style.
“I wanted to have an opportunity to get a sense from consumers directly how they would react to it,” said Diana Terry-Azíos, vice president, corporate marketing, Univision Communications. “I wanted to see first-hand, in-market what the reaction would be to the show and to the UniMas brand.”
The weekend before the premiere, the company activated their street teams in three markets: New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. They had identified bars and nightclubs where the young, bilingual, and bicultural target audience would be out for a night of clubbing.
At most of the targeted venues, patrons waiting in line were approached by UniMás promo teams dressed like government agents—although a closer look revealed subtle UniMás branding on the uniforms. They were shown what appeared to be surveillance photos of Griselda Blanco and told to be on the lookout, because there was a manhunt going on.
Eventually everyone was given small mint packs with “La Viuda Negra” branding and tune-in details, and there were themed drink specials waiting inside.
But at one location, UniMás aimed to create more social media buzz by hiring an actress who looked a lot like the Griselda Blanco character from the series.
The actress wore a long black veil and caused a scene when she entered the club with an entourage, settling at a Champagne-laden VIP table near the DJ booth. The DJ gave her a few shout-outs throughout the night, and at one point “Griselda” even made it rain, throwing (fake) money into the crowd (printed with subtle UniMás branding, of course).
The entire act led up to a staged scuffle between the “agents” who had been looking for her and her bodyguards as they tried to haul her out of the club.
“That’s when the cameras really came out,” said Terry-Azíos, referring to the social media content generated by the “raid.”
When the stunt was over, the promo for the new series started to roll on the club screens.
“We got great feedback,” said Terry-Azíos. “I got my branding questions answered, and I got to see the response from the audience.”
She said that one of the most important things for marketers who may be considering similar activations is to spend the time creating an authentic experience.
“Keep the stunt in-culture,” she said,” and try to dedicate time to walk through any of the potential variables. There are a lot of unpredictable factors when it comes to nightlife.”
Around 5.8 million viewers tuned in across the three networks for the “La Viuda Negra,” and it has continued to deliver strong ratings throughout its run. In fact the company is using the June 8 finale to help launch its next major drama, “Metástasis,” the Spanish-language adaptation of “Breaking Bad.”
The network is tying the two series together with a marketing campaign called “De Blanco a Blanco,” playing off the last names of the two main characters (Walter White becomes, naturally, Walter Blanco in the Spanish adaptation).
“Metástasis” is getting its own roadblocked premiere on June 8 across Univision, UniMás, and Galavision on Sunday June 8, at 10pm ET, immediately following the finale of “La Viuda Negra.” The series will then air weeknights on UniMás at 10pm.
Tags: