Old Navy Targets Hispanics With Online Telenovela
Telemundo partnership results in six-week branded video saga.
In a bid to reach fashion-forward, hyper-connected, 20-something Hispanic women, Old Navy has partnered with Spanish language media company Telemundo to launch a web and mobile telenovela, Estilos Robados, or “Stolen Styles.”
Each Friday for six weeks, Old Navy will debut a new segment in the saga. At the end of each video, viewers are asked to “choose her outfit, choose her fate,” by voting on one of two outfits for the main character, Isabella Reyes, to wear in a key scene in the following episode. The outfits will impact the overall outcome of the series – a feature Old Navy says engages its viewers. Digital agency AKQA came up with the concept.
Old Navy also says the web series is filled with comedy, satire, drama and plot twists that audiences love in telenovelas.
The first video premiered Friday, October 14. Subsequent videos will air through November 18 on the Estilos Robados tab on Old Navy’s Facebook page, as well as on its Spanish YouTube channel and on a Telemundo-produced mobile landing page, Telemundo Movil.
Old Navy is running spots on Telemundo.com to drive voters to its mobile and social platforms. Votes are being taken on Old Navy’s Facebook page, via SMS and on Telemundo Movil.
Voting for the first episode ended Wednesday, October 19 and the winning outfit premiered in Episode 2 on Friday, October 21. The Old Navy rep would not disclose how many people have voted so far. The first video had 828 views on YouTube as of Friday morning, but the tally does not include views initiated on the Telemundo mobile site.
“Telemundo’s knowledge and appeal to Hispanic women was vital to the creation and execution of a fun, interactive experience for our customers,” said Deborah Yeh, VP of Old Navy marketing, in a statement. “We hope to continue to grow Old Navy’s connection with this demographic through ‘Estilos Robados’ and this type of partnership.”
Old Navy had previously used Spanish language TV spots to reach this audience. But new in-store products for fall made this feel like the right time to launch a highly targeted Hispanic-specific campaign, says Shira Bogart, group creative director at AKQA.
Bogart said, “Given how digitally savvy the target is, we knew we needed to reach them on (their phones) or online in an engaging way – with an experience beyond just a product look book.”
Additional campaign elements include an exclusive digital media buy with Telemundo, outdoor placements in Miami and in-store flyers in key markets.
In the telenovela, Reyes is one of TV’s hottest young stars who seems to have it all, but is also an insufferable diva. As production of her latest hit novella ends, she knows that she must land her next big role before fame slips away. According to Old Navy, throughout the series, the audience will discover her secrets, surprise love interests and twists of fate that may lead to acts of revenge from people in her life.
Telemundo says the web series is shot with a hand-held camera, “lending a gritty, reality show-within-a-drama tone to the episodes.”
Bogart says the brand chose to work with Telemundo to ensure the novella remained true to its target audience. “Telemundo has an incredible TV, digital and mobile audience and allowed us to reach out to this already established community in an authentic way,” Bogart adds.
