Discovery en Español is turning its cameras on some of Latin America’s business successes — and at least one active advertiser in the U.S. Hispanic market — with the launch of a new miniseries set to bow Jan. 27.
Mision Innovación promises to go “beyond the brands for an inside look at the history, operations, and successes of some of the region’s most prestigious companies.”
The first episode, to air at 7 p.m. ET, features automaker Nissan and how it operates in Mexico. Nissan’s Mexican facility exports vehicles to more than 100 countries and employs roughly 6,200 people. Plant engineers, technicians and staff are profiled as they prepare to engage in a new challenge: to complete a vehicle every 55 seconds to meet the growing demand for automobiles. In the process, viewers can observe each step involved in making a car and the role of each of the Nissan employees.
According to a July 2013 report by CNW Research, new-vehicle sales growth among Hispanics outpaced that of non-Hispanics. Hispanics accounted for 11.25% of new vehicle consumers in the first half of 2013. This is expected to rise to 13.25% by 2016.
Nissan ranks third among Hispanics by total consumer share in 2013 (12%), behind just Honda (13%) and Toyota (16%).
Meanwhile, the April 2013 arrival of Fred Diaz as the head of Nissan’s day-to-day operations and subsequent appointment as senior vice president, Nissan Sales & Marketing, Parts & Service, U.S.A., further cemented Nissan’s desire to grow its share of Hispanic consumers.
The selection of Nissan for Misión Innovación is the result of a savvy product integration plan forged by Discovery en Español for the U.S. Hispanic market, network representatives confirmed.
According to Kantar Media, Nissan was not among the top 10 advertisers during the first three quarters of 2013. But, General Motors and Toyota rank fourth and sixth, respectively, with GM investing $1.2 billion in all U.S. media measured by Kantar during the period — up 3.7% from the first nine months of 2012. Toyota invested $920.4 million in all U.S. media during the first three quarters of 2013 — slicing its overall ad dollars by 1% from the same period in 2012.
Nissan North America selected Dallas-based Dieste as its U.S. Hispanic agency of record in late 2008, shifting its business from Marca Hispanic. Nielsen Monitor-Plus data for 2007 put Nissan’s ad budget for Spanish-language television stations monitored by Nielsen at $35 million. Current estimates are not publicly available; Nielsen Monitor-Plus is no longer being offered by the company.
Other companies set to appear on Mision Innovación in the U.S. in the U.S. include PEMEX and Tyson de México.
