NBCUniversal-owned Latino youth cable network mun2 is embarking on its first brand refresh in years, launching an awareness campaign that takes a witty approach to bridging the pronunciation gap of “mun2.”
The mun2 moniker plays off the Spanish word for the number two, so the name sounds like “mundos” — as in Spanish for “worlds.”
“We realized that, yes, some people have a hard time pronouncing mun2 correctly, so we said: ‘Let’s have a little fun with it,’” Ricardo de Montreuil, vice president and creative director of bilingual mun2, told The Wire. He and marketing vice president Alex Alonso are leading the brand-refresh effort.
Elements include a small tweak of the mun2 logo, which gets a new font and is now framed within a circle.
Accompanying the change is a new image campaign — the first in six years — kicking off Aug. 12 across several NBCU properties, including Bravo, USA Network, Syfy, iVillage, Telemundo, Oxygen and Style.
Titled “Maestro: How to mun2,” the effort centers around the character of Maestro ("Teacher," pictured), a prim and proper, jewelry-clad, mustachioed man who educates new network viewers on how to properly say “mun2.”
In “Diner,” one of two spots created by New York-based agency Gretel, Maestro uses all sorts of facial and verbal tricks to teach a clueless kid how to say mun2. The kid tries several times: “Mohn-too,” “Moon-toes,” “Moon-dust,” “Moon-does,” until he finally gets it right and both crack up in hysterical laughter.
In a second spot, “Rapid Fire,” Maestro is in a parking lot helping “educate” a young woman on the correct
pronunciation of mun2. In his effort, Maestro turns up such hints as a group of wrestlers, a quinceañera, a group of beauty-pageant contestants and a low rider until, ultimately, she gets it.
Maestro also will take part in mun2 events throughout the year, starting on Aug. 17, when he will make a surprise appearance at a popular Los Angeles flea market.
