Herbalife transforms lead character in ‘La Fea mas Bella’.

Herbalife Ltd. announced a sponsorship of Mexico’s highly-rated prime time telenovela, “La Fea mas Bella,” a popular show akin to “Ugly Betty,” in which the soap’s lead character, Lety, played by Angelica Vale, will use Herbalife products as she undergoes a physical transformation in six episodes of the show.

Actress Nora Salinas, who portrays Dona Carolina, her mentor, advises Lety on how to use the company’s products.

“La Fea mas Bella” is currently one of the highest-rated Spanish-language television shows in the U.S. and Mexico. It is produced by Mexico’s Grupo Televisa and airs across the U.S. on Univision Television Network.

Herbalife’s participation in the storyline is expected to air in January 2007 in the U.S. Through this campaign, Herbalife hopes to engage in a more direct and dynamic fashion with general audiences, consumers and its network of Hispanic independent distributors in North America.

This is the first time that Herbalife products will be featured on-air in the storyline of a television show. The company is using it to reach out to the community while engaging its growing number of Hispanic distributors and positioning the product in a positive and healthy manner.

“La Fea mas Bella” also airs in some parts of Europe and most of South America.