The Birth of MTVAug 1, 1981 – First Announcement was made by its then COO John Lack.It exposed rock music artistes to the mainstream audience through the medium of televisionMTV became the prime source for delivering music experience; and radio was relegated to secondary status.MTV’s focus revolved around teenagers and youthLater, it was labeled as the “MTV generation” by focusing on teenagers, youth, parents and teachers

Cont’d…MTV brand lies in its ability to evolve continuously through its innovative youthful contentIt always reflect the local youth culture and lifestyle and at the same time offers international exposure. Ex. Offering a mix of Bollywood and western music in India.Leveraging its status through its social responsibility initiatives such as ‘Choose or Lose’ and ‘Fight for your Right’.

The Building of a Global Brand

To build a Global brand, there are three main options available:

To retain the same basic brand personality and proposition across all markets.Combine global brand value with local adaptionGo in for local and fully adaptive branding

MTV has chosen to combine global brand values with local adaptationAs a result, MTV has gained huge brand equity and value in many parts of the world

Cont’d…MTV maintains relevance and emotional bonding with the customersDue to advent of internet and digital revolution, marketing techniques too have gone hi-techEx. Viral marketing, mobile advertising, advergamingToday’s youth acquire ‘indie’ personality i.e. being independent and different from the crowdSo, the main drivers of present day youth are entertainment, information, interaction and innovation

MTV – Anatomy and Business Strategies

MTV is the channel of expression and social conscienceFormally, MTV does not have a stated brand vision but it appears to have vision of being “forever young”It’s mission basically focuses on fresh, relevant and risk-taking entertainmentIt’s corporate and brand personality includes the facets of innovation, being relevant, passionate, etc.MTV has developed both tangible and intangible elements of its brand equity.

Cont’d… Tangible equities are:

Informed and relatable VJsMusic video showsNovel animationLifestyle showsSpecial Events

Intangible equities are:

International contentVarietyThe sense of belongingRelevanceDiscoveryAttraction

VJ Hunt Show

Novel Animation

Special Events

Brand Development, Execution and Management

The MTV brand continuum ranges from its original position as a visual radio to becoming a leader in musicLater, it developed from music plus variety to youth-culture varietyNow, it approaches 360-degree marketing which aims to expand across a range of technologiesNow it is providing content through mobile phones, interactive gaming, which helps to keep in touch with the latest trends of the tech-crazy millennial

Cont’d…MTV extends to other areas like music contests, fashion shows, social awareness programmingExpanding marketing communications through website and by launching VJ Hunt, youth forums, annual shows and road-showsMTV always tries to understand its customers, keeping a balance between consistency and change.MTV has reached different market segmentation through brand extensionEx.

MTV AsiaMTV started in India as MTV Asia in 1991 and later became an autonomous channel as MTV IndiaMTV focuses on music videos and social awareness programmesDuring its initial years, it was a free-to-air channel and later converted itself into a pay channelDirect competitors are Channel V, Zee Music, and B4U music, 9XM, Zoom and several regional music channels

Cont’d…Programs such as ‘MTV Bakra’ have made a ladmark approach on young audiences MTV India has built a reputation of being the leader in the Indian music industry due to its innovative content, good programming, its community building efforts and new positioning exercise

MTV ChinaMTV established 2 channels in China – MTV China and MTV ChineseApril 20, 2002 – MTV became China’s first global 24-hour music channelMTV always focuses on localization of its content because young Chinese audiences are more nationalisticChina has smaller youth population due to ‘One Child Policy’Also, 34% of the Chinese are more obsessed with self-image and money

Cont’d…MTVs risk-taking strategy appeals to young Chinese adultsThe VJs also follow the strategy of “Think Local, Act Global”MTV China is strengthening its presence through selective co-branding with baidu.com and huiyuan.comBoth partnerships strengthen the association of MTV China with the youth and its commitment of social responsibility by giving clear message of healthy lifestyle to Chinese youth

Programming mix of MTV China

Programming Mix

Chinese Content

Hong Kong and Taiwan ContentInternational Content

ConclusionThe future challenge of MTV lies in the management of its brand in the digital worldMusic has become digitalizedMTVs survival measures:

Extend its grip on the global market and maintaining a balance between global and local contentIt should understand the requirements of youth to create programs accordinglyMTV must sustain its supremacy over the distribution of music in digital form

“The internet won’t kill the video star; indeed it may well make it stronger”

THANK YOU

By – Divya P. (10)Meenakshi C. (18)Shagufta J. (34)

Src. – RetailBiz