- Steve McClellan

NEW YORK Spanish-language network Telemundo is teaming with Ford Motor Co. on a new 20-episode cross-platform microseries for TV, cable, online and mobile to promote the launch of the carmaker's 2010 Fusion brand.
 
The series will bow on July 27 on Telemundo TV stations in five key Hispanic markets: Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, Dallas and Chicago, and on cable network Mun2, Web site Holamun2.com and mobile platform A La Mano.  
 
Ford is also buying a series of traditional TV spots to support the series, titled, Amores de Luna: Nuevos Caminos (Lovers of the Moon: New Paths).
 
Each episode lasts three minutes and will air on broadcast in the commercial pod leading out of the late newscast at 11:30 p.m.

The series, produced by Telemundo, is the second installment of the Amores de Luna integration. In its first season last year, Ford used the content to promote its Flex crossover vehicle.
 
Commenting on the deal David Rodriguez, multicultural marketing manager at Ford, said that last year's integration was "a platform that engaged the Hispanic customer with the Ford brand. The ability [again this year] to work with Telemundo to generate entertaining content that organically weaves in the 2010 Ford Fusion is a major win."

Telemundo COO Jacqueline Hernandez described the content as a "mini novella." She said that the network and the client did joint research "to shape the story line and to understand what story line would best fit the Fusion brand attributes."
 
The story follows the life and loves of a young woman as she pursues her career path. It features Mun2 host Pico in a cameo role and stars (among others) Jose Guillermo Cortinas, who also starred in the network's recent network novella, El Rostro de Analia.
 
The program is cross-promoted among the different platforms and will run four weeks on broadcast and an additional eight weeks online.
 
Hernandez said Telemundo would increasingly use its resources (production studios, research capabilities and other assets) to "create customized branded entertainment" for clients. It helps clients to craft messages that "resonate and connect to their target audiences," she said.