Suave Professionals® Partners with Univision to Make a Latina's Dream Come True

USA - English

• Latin America - español

NEW YORK, June 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- For all the latinas who dreamed of starring in a telenovela, Suave Professionals® set out to make one lucky winner's wishes come true!  Creating a "first-ever" landmark in TV sponsorship Unilever and Univision Network have taken their creative partnership to the next level.  Suave Professionals®, as the official hair care sponsor of "El Talisman," offered one lucky fan the opportunity to win a walk-on role, setting a new standard and making history in the U.S. Hispanic marketing industry.

"For 50 years Suave® has made beautiful hair accessible to all women, by providing salon-quality products and benefits at a reasonable price. Our partnership with Univision and 'El Talisman' takes that promise another step further, making TV stardom possible for one lucky consumer," said David Rubin, U.S. Haircare Marketing Director for Unilever. "We provided a one-of-a-kind opportunity to bring Latinas closer to their favorite novela stars and for the first time put a fan on the show."

The "Estrena Tu Transformacion" (Reveal Your Transformation) contest tasked consumers with sharing their most dramatic hair transformations on Suave's Spanish-language Facebook® page, Belleza Suave, for the chance to make their grand debut on the telenovela, receive a make-over by Suave Professionals® celebrity stylist Leonardo Rocco, and win a five thousand dollar cash prize. Suave Professionals® is proud to announce Mayra Mendoza as our lucky grand prize winner.

Taking the integration a step further, a dedicated section on NovelasySeries.com featured Talisman-inspired hairstyle how-to videos, recreated by Leonardo Rocco. Throughout the telenovela, the Suave Professionals® Keratin Infusion™ range was integrated into three pivotal moments of the ever-dramatic story. One of these moments included a crucial wedding scene where the contest grand prize winner, Mendoza, starred in.

The telenovela will culminate this week with Mendoza's scene where she plays Carmen and exchanges a memorable and emotional encounter with a key character in a climactic scene in the episode.

"This on-screen debut has truly been the best experience of my life! From start to finish I was treated as if I were an A-list celebrity. I was even allowed to actively contribute to the creation of my character – from the gorgeous hairstyle to makeup and wardrobe," said Mendoza.

"Winning this prize has solidified my desires to become an actress." The winner's amazing and heartfelt journey will be showcased on Univision Network's "Despierta America" as she shares a behind-the-scenes look and talks about this life-changing experience. For an even closer look on Mendoza's path to stardom, visit www.facebook.com/BellezaSuave for exclusive videos, photos and hair tips and tricks.

About Unilever North America

Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods with strong operations in more than 100 countries and sales in 180. With products that are used over two billion times a day around the world, we work to create a better future every day and help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others. In the United States and Canada the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Becel, Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Breyers, Caress, CLEAR SCALP & HAIRTHERAPY, Consort For Men, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, fds, Good Humor, Hellmann's, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, Just for Me!, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Motions, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond's, Popsicle, Promise, Q-Tips, Ragu, Simple, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Soft & Beautiful, St. Ives, Suave, tcb, TIGI, TRESemme, Vaseline, and Wish-Bone. All of the preceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever employs more than 13,000 people across North America – generating over $9 billion in sales in 2011. For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com or www.unilever.ca.

About Univision Communications Inc.

Univision Communications Inc. (UCI) is the leading media company serving Hispanic America. Its assets include Univision Network, one of the top five networks in the U.S. regardless of language and the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the country reaching 96% of U.S. Hispanic households; TeleFutura Network, a general-interest Spanish-language broadcast television network reaching 88% of U.S. Hispanic households; Univision Cable Networks, including Galavision, the country's leading Spanish-language cable network, as well as Univision telenovelas, a new 24-hour cable network dedicated to novelas, Univision Deportes Network, a new 24-hour cable network dedicated to sports and a suite of six cable offerings - De Pelicula, De Pelicula Clasico, Bandamax, Ritmoson, Telehit and Clasico TV; Univision Studios, which produces and co-produces reality shows, dramatic series and other programming formats for the Company's platforms; Univision Television Group, which owns and/or operates 62 television stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Radio, the leading Hispanic radio group which owns and/or operates 69 radio stations in 16 of the top 25 U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Interactive Media, a network of national and local online and mobile sites including Univision.com, which continues to be the #1 most-visited Spanish-language website among U.S. online Hispanics, Univision Movil, a longstanding industry-leader with unique, relevant mobile products and services, and Univision Partner Group, a specialized advertising and publisher network. Headquartered in New York City, UCI has television network operations in Miami and television and radio stations and sales offices in major cities throughout the United States. For more information, please visit www.univision.net.

SOURCE Unilever North America