Telemundo & Allstate create broadband award show.

Telemundo announced their new first-ever broadband award show, “Allstate Presents Premios Telemundo Novelas.” In recognition of the power of social media among U.S. Hispanics, this initiative is a fresh look at the concept of awards in today’s digital age.

For this digital initiative, online and mobile audiences were invited to vote and comment on twenty different categories based on Telemundo novelas. The voting took place on the internet and over mobile devices, and was shareable via Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms.

The awards focus on audience favorites from Telemundo novelas ranging from “Best Actor” to “Best Kiss” to “Best Action Scene.” Working directly with Allstate on the creation of these new awards, a special custom category, “Mejor Momento de Mala Suerte” (“Best Bad Luck Moment”), was developed to complement Allstate’s Hispanic marketing campaign, “Mala Suerte,” which highlights the protection, value and peace of mind Allstate provides when bad things happen. Voting began on June 2 and ended Thursday, June 16 at noon.

A nominee celebration event took place at Telemundo Studios in Miami on June 9, where novela stars, directors and producers had a chance to speak to their fans via social media networks to encourage voting. The winners will be announced on June 30, and the digital initiative will culminate with a “made for broadband show” that will highlight each of the winners and include special video messages to their fan bases online.

“This exciting partnership with Allstate allows us to once again super-serve our extremely loyal and passionate telenovela fans,” said Dan Lovinger, executive vice president of advertising sales & integrated marketing, Telemundo. “Allstate and Tapestry understand the buying power of the Spanish-language television audience, as well as how active this audience is online and on mobile and social platforms. The collaborative launch of this digital awards initiative adds another innovative component to Telemundo’s interactive storytelling capabilities.”

“This pioneering initiative highlights Telemundo’s commitment to driving innovation in the U.S. Hispanic marketplace,” added Peter E. Blacker, executive vice president, digital media and emerging businesses, Telemundo. “Online fandom is a powerful force in entertainment, and ‘Allstate® Presents Premios Telemundo Novelas’ will uniquely engage fans in the space where they want to interact with their favorite stars and shows.”

Allstate has been involved with all phases of the conception and development of this initiative, pioneering a new twist on “People’s Choice Awards.” They are the exclusive sponsor and have co-branded content and video sponsorship.

“Allstate is excited to partner with Telemundo on this unique and fun initiative using the power of social media,” said Georgina Flores, senior marketing manager at Allstate. “We’re proud to include a twist on the fan vote utilizing our successful ‘Mala Suerte’ campaign and look forward to engaging with Hispanic consumers in a unique way.”

“AllstatePresents Premios Telemundo Novelas” is the latest initiative from Telemundo’s new strategic social media unit, Social@Telemundo, which launched in February 2011. Social@Telemundo focuses on delivering its fans across Facebook and Twitter interactive experiences tied to TV programming. With dedicated social media resources tied to each of Telemundo’s shows and telenovelas, Social@Telemundo aims to take the entire TV viewing process to a more engaging level.

This program is available on Telemundo.com/Premios and will be promoted on Telemundo.com, Telemundo, MSN Latino and Telemundo’s new iPhone application, the Telemundo Novela App.