General Motors aims to boost its online efforts to market to the U.S. Hispanic community
through a strategic marketing alliance inked this week with Univision Online.
According to the one-year agreement, GM will sponsor several content areas on the
Univision.com portal, a subsidiary of the country’s largest Spanish-language TV broadcaster,
Los Angeles-based Univision Communications. Those site areas include lifestyle “Vida
Channel” and “Aventuras Del Camino,” a new channel focused on automobile-related travel
content and safety tips whose title translates as “Adventures of the Road”.
The “Aventuras” section, scheduled to launch in late March 2001, also will feature “The
GM Corner,” which provides information on new GM vehicles and services. In addition, the GM
Corner will provide links to GM BuyPower, the manufacturer’s auto e-commerce site.
In addition, Detroit-based GM will sponsor Web chats and the Aventuras message board on
the site. GM also said that it plans to give away several vehicles in promotional contests
for Univision.com visitors sometime during the coming months.
“Univision.com is thrilled to be working with GM to fulfill our joint commitment to
empower the U.S. Hispanic community by providing information that will enhance their daily
lives,” said Univision Online president Javier Saralegui. “This alliance represents another
significant step towards achieving Univision.com’s goal of providing U.S. Hispanics with
access to online information that is in Spanish and culturally relevant.”
GM and Univision.com also plan to co-sponsor a nationwide scholarship award program,
recognizing Hispanic high school students for academic achievement and community service.
The agreement comes as e-GM, GM’s online B2C e-commerce unit, is slowly but surely making
deals to market GM autos, parts and e-commerce initiatives online through high-traffic
sites. In December, the company partnered with online auctioneer eBay.
Through that agreement, the U.S. auto giant is sponsoring various auto-related areas of
the site, while jointly running contests and other promotions with eBay to drive traffic to
eBay Motors.
According to Competitive Media Reporting, the automaker also spent the most of any brand
on online media during 2000, dropping some $47.9 million during the year.
“We are pleased to support and sponsor what has become one of the leading online
destinations for the Hispanic community in the United States,” said Tyrone Jordan, director
of North and South American business development for e-GM. “It’s important for GM to be
visible among this fast-growing and important market segment.”
