Lifetime Unveils Unilever Marketing Alliance

LOS ANGELES: For its upcoming mini-series Maneater, based on the Gigi Levangie Grazer bestseller, Lifetime Television has inked a multiplatform promotional campaign with Unilever for its Vaseline Aloe Fresh brand.

Vaseline Aloe Fresh will serve as the presenting sponsor of the two-parter from Sony Pictures Television, set for broadcast on May 30 and 31. The brand partnership, however, brokered by Mindshare, begins in mid-April and extends through encore presentations of the mini-series on Lifetime Television and Lifetime Movie Network. The campaign includes multiple product integrations of Vaseline Aloe Fresh into the mini-series; custom, co-branded promotional spots running on-network, off-network and on the radio; and branded-content vignettes with the star of the mini-series, Sarah Chalke, and Vaseline Aloe Fresh. The campaign also encompasses viral online promotions; advertising on entertainment, women’s and gossip sites; and out-of-home and print ads, as well as a national sweepstakes.

“This deal represents a groundbreaking promotional initiative for Lifetime, and the network is thrilled to have Unilever/Vaseline Aloe Fresh as the presenting sponsor and marketing partner for Maneater,” said Debbie Richman, Lifetime Networks’ executive VP of ad sales. “Our partnership is a perfect match, and it has been exciting working with Unilever to identify and develop the multi-platform components that support both the miniseries and Vaseline Aloe Fresh. Now more than ever, advertisers are seeking compelling new methods to showcase their products in non-traditional ways. Maneater and Vaseline Aloe Fresh speak to the same woman and share common ground in that both are light, fun and celebratory in nature. As a leading brand, Lifetime is uniquely positioned to provide marketers with meaningful ways to connect with today’s busy woman.”

In the Timothy Busfield-directed mini-series, Clarissa Alpert (Chalke) is a shallow socialite with Hollywood connections who starts to panic about being single as she nears her 32nd birthday. With her family and friends, she embarks on a plan to woo a hot new filmmaker. Suzanne Martin (Hot Properties, Spellbound), Gigi Levangie Grazer (The Starter Wife) and Stephanie Davis for 3 Arts Entertainment (The Starter Wife, The 51st State) are executive producers of the teleplay adapted from Levangie Grazer’s novel by Martin.