• by Wayne Friedman , November 4, 2009

Four sponsors of Univision's "Latin Grammy Awards" will return to the telecast -- Heineken, Verizon, McDonald's, and Hennessy -- while three new brands are coming on board for the 10-year-old awards program.

Unilever's Axe Instinct, Unilever's Degree Ultra Clear and the American Heart Association will be new advertisers of the telecast to be aired live Nov. 5. People En Español, Univision Radio, and Univision Online will be the event's media partners.

Last year, the "Latin Grammys" dropped to 5.8 million viewers from 6.2 million in 2007. Viewers 18-39 were at 3.2 million versus 3.8 million in 2007. Viewers 18-34 were at 1.8 million -- off from 2.3 million the previous year.

Heineken, a longtime supporter, will be a sponsor of Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year and presenting sponsor of the Latin Grammy After Party. The brewer has been sponsoring a sweepstakes for consumers to attend this year's awards show through a "text to win" contest.

Verizon will offer exclusive VCAST content of artist interviews at the show featuring video and photos from the green carpet and backstage, as well as sponsoring street parties in Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami and New York.

Second year-advertiser McDonald's will sponsor a "Prende La Pachanga" (Turn to Pachanga) Sweepstakes, where grand-prize winners can bring three friends to this year's awards shows.

Hennessy returns this year as the official spirit for the show, offering attendees a selection of signature cocktails featuring their luxury VSOP Privilege brand. It's also hosting a "Hennessy Privilege Suite" at the official Latin Grammy After Party.

Unilever's Axe Instinct produced the "Power of Leather Contest," encouraging rock bands to upload video performances to Univision.com for a chance to win $5,000 and the opportunity to play at the after party event.

Degree Ultra Clear has run a contest asking women to upload photos at Univision.com wearing a little black dress. Winners get $5,000 in cash and will have a chance to attend the awards.

The American Heart Association's "Go Red Por Tú Corazón" campaign hopes to raise awareness of heart disease among Hispanic women and their families.