Mazda, Oreo, T-Mobile, Verizon New 'Latin Music Awards' Sponsors

Pitbull, Yandel, El Alfa and Wisin rehearse at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla.
Pitbull, Yandel, El Alfa and Wisin rehearse at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla. (Image credit: Alexander Tamargo/Telemundo)

Telemundo said that Mazda, Oreo, T-Mobile and Verizon will be first-time sponsors of the 2020 Billboard Latin Music Awards when the show airs on Wednesday.

Returning sponsors include Garnier Fructis, State Farm, Toyota and Comcast’s Xfinity brand. Comcast is also Telemundo’s parent company.

The sponsors are integrated into the telecast and many will also be involved in digital and social media activities around and during the awards show.

“There is a very high level of interest in big events like this on Telemundo,” said Carrie Stimmel, executive VP, Lifestyle and Hispanic Advertising Sales, NBCUniversal. “We’ve been sold out for the awards, but there are so many opportunities for our marketing partners to get involved with this great event.”

The Billboard Latin Music Awards were originally scheduled to take place in April, but were postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The awards show is being produced live with presenters and finalists appearing at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. Telemundo said that to protect the health and safety of talent, the production crew and other employees, mandatory protocols have been put in place, including testing, daily temperature checks, mask wearing, enhanced cleaning, and sanitizer stations. 

The production was designed with “bubbles” and multiple stages to reduce the number of people in any one place at a time. 

The production protocols also help make the integrations as creative, robust and engaging as possible.

"We absolutely have made it our mission to pivot with advertisers," Stimmel said. "Marketers need to be nimble, they need to be flexible and they need to reach consumer who are going to buy their products."

She added that NBCU is seeing heightened conversations around talking to diverse and multicultural audiences.

"Engaging U.S. Hispanics is critical for any marketer looking for growth for their business," Stimmel said, citing a survey that found that 65% of Hispanics say they will stop purchasing products from brands that have not supported the community during times of need.

"The great thing about partnering with a big event on Telemundo is that you can also reach across the entire NBCU platform where we reach 91% of all adult Hispanic," she added. 

Mazda will be emphasizing performance with a picture-in-picture moment during the telecast and will bring viewers buzz-worthy events on social media.

Oreo will offer "Oreo Playful Prediction" and play along by guessing what’s coming next on both linear and social platforms.

Viewers will be able to unlock a 3D-like augmented experience from Verizon during the show, featuring musical icon Wisin. With Verizon 5G rolling out nationwide, fans will be able to take part wherever they are. Verizon is also offering augmented reality during NBC’s series Connecting and will have custom content on MSNBC and CNBC highlighting their digital transformation effort for small businesses.

Garnier Fructis will be showing off head-turning effects of its Sleek and Shine Line from the Red Carpet and spotlighting an award winner during the telecast.

Toyota is returning to the stage with Lali, Silvertre and Nauel Turizo, who let the 2021 Toyota Camry TRD, and their music, take them places.

State Farm will be sponsoring a pre-show Red Carpet and a post-show highlights livestream for fans, in addition to a special celebratory moment during the telecast.

Xfinity will present The Song of The Decade Award. It will extend the moment with a first-ever Facebook Live Look-In and continue to engage fans throughout the night across Twitter.

The Billboard Latin Music Awards will coincide with Billboard’s Latin Music Week, a three-day virtual experience dedicated to Latin music, culture, and entertainment that kicks off October 20th. The Billboard Latin Music Awards will air throughout the Americas via Telemundo Internacional, and simultaneously on Spanish-language entertainment cable network, Universo.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.