Home > The Border Line > Archives > 2007 > October > 15
Monday, October 15, 2007
State Farm reaching out to Hispanics: becomes national sponsor of “Sabado Gigante”
In an effort to reach more Hispanic consumers, State Farm Insurance has become the national sponsor of “Sabado Gigante,” or “Giant Saturday,” a live, rather kooky variety show on the Univision network.
The program is hosted by Don Francisco (pictured) and includes audience participation games, comedy skits, and musical numbers.
HispanicBusiness.com reports that the show is the ninth most-watched Spanish-language program in the United States and that financial terms weren’t released on the State Farm sponsorship deal.
However, the agreement includes in-program advertising, where the show’s characters will incorporate the State Farm brand into skits, the article said.
This should be interesting as one recurring character — “El Chacal” — is dressed as a hooded executioner and carries a trumpet.
Mark Gibson, State Farm assistant vice president for advertising, said in the HispanicBusiness.com article: “It’s a TiVo world, and anytime you can get your brand into a program, it makes it a better value.”
To read more, click here.
Schwarzenegger goes both ways on immigration
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger acted to please both sides of the immigration debate “in a way that exemplifies his delicate handling of the controversial subject,” the New York Times reported over the weekend.
Schwarzenegger signed a measure that prohibits cities from requiring landlords to check whether tenants are in the country legally, making California the first state with such a law. The move pleased Latino groups and immigrant advocates.
Then, the governor pleased conservatives by vetoing a bill to allow new citizens to register to vote on Election Day if their naturalization ceremonies were held less than seven days before an election, the article said.
Schwarzenegger, a naturalized American citizen from Austria, presented his action on the bills “as a pragmatic, case-by-case assessment of their merits,” according to the Times.
To read more, click here.
McCain commits to Univision Spanish-language debate, again
It looks like the Univision television network may have a Republican presidential debate after all.
The event — postponed last month because of a lack of interest from GOP candidates — has been rescheduled for Dec. 9.
Sen. John McCain, the only Republican who committed to the earlier date, announced Monday that he would attend in December.
“I look forward to communicating with Hispanic voters nationwide in this unique discussion of issues. It is an opportunity to broaden access to the democratic process and to participate in the political dialogue,” McCain said, in a press release. “I commend the Univision network for hosting this historic presidential forum and am happy to accept their invitation to participate.”
Nearly all Democratic candidates showed up at a Univision forum in September. Candidates were required to speak in English and their answers were translated for the Spanish-speaking audience.
Several leading Republican candidates have been criticized for declining to appear at events geared toward minority groups.
To read more, click here.