Submitted To: Submitted By:

Mr. S. Suresh Shikhar Agarwal 11609115

Shubhra Agarwal 11609117
Pragya Upadhyay 11609099
Alisha Shivhare 11609069
Anshuman Mishra 11609191
Neha Bathla 11609094
Bharat Sharma 11609192
2/14/2013

PBM
PROJECT
MTV: BUILDING BRAND RESONANCE



1 PBM Project

1) What is the MTV brand image? How valuable are the MTV brand associations? What
should its core values be?
Since its debut in 1981, MTV has always tried to strengthen and reinvent its own image. It
has build a powerful youth oriented brand globally. Started as an all music video channel,
MTV focused on the youth and their taste of music. It also acted as a star creating channel
making known to the world lesser known artist and their music. It strives to build by having
hot, up and coming bands and individual artists to perform on their shows and also showcase
them on their website. The effect of this branding of up-and-coming bands attracts the 18 -
24 male and female audiences. MTVs strength has been its revolutionary youth pop
irreverence. Also it's branding image for the 25 34 viewer segments are product and travel
guides, and informed political opinions. Other than marking a seminal step in the history of
music and television, MTV has always been striving to co-evolve with its viewers taste.
This evolution has been dialectical and is not just an adaptation to that of a changing
environment but much more than that and beyond. We could rather say that this evolution
has been dialectical in the sense that MTV has not only conditioned its own viewers
musical tastes, but has also shaped several young generation conveying them its own culture,
and making them the core of its success.
MTV has linked its image to Famous artists, Music, and Young Generations, managing to
establish a trait among them: Famous persons young revolutionary claim I want my
MTV, helping young and unknown singers to become celebrities, and allowing young
audience to peek into music stars day to day life thanks to the many related programs has
what developed throughout this two decades along with the reality shows. The fact that so
many singers career owe their success to MTV shows the importance of their brand. All this
massive campaign helped MTV to build a strong brand image among the young generation
who over the years associated young spirit, cutting-edge and free thinking to its Brand.
Over the years MTV transformed from a music channel to that having a cultural
significance. It started to show case long form of programming which helped MTV to
address changing viewer taste and also emerged as a source of information and education for
its viewer on important world events and issues. Their core values should be leading-edge
coverage of new musicians and their music along with their association with youth and
youth culture. They have a powerful youth oriented brand image and are spread all over the
world. Youth is what defines MTV and it should strive to associate itself with youth culture
and change according to what the youth culture demands.




2 PBM Project

2) Describe the current sources of MTVs brand equity. How have they changed over
time? How have they remained constant?
Building a strong equity is a highly difficult task as it goes beyond creating an innovative
product. Uniqueness of a brand is more related to an inner conception and awareness of the
brand culture that should become symbiotic with the different cultures all over the world.
MTVs successful breakthrough of bringing music on television marked a significant turning
point in both the music and television culture and their business related field. This allowed
MTV to move quickly on its own learning curve conferring it a competitive advantage over
its competitors.
To create a brand equity one need to understand what and to whom the channel is catering
to. The idea was to start a music video cable channel and came up with the name MTV,
which inherently mean Music television. To create brand awareness and to have a
memorable identity in viewers mind, the company needed to create a logo. Patti Rogoff, an
independent designer came up with the MTV logo, a blocky three-dimensional M with a
graffiti scrawled TV on top. As its television signature MTV used the picture of first moon
landing in which Neil Armstrong in his spacesuit holding the American flag. On the flag is
shown the printed the MTV logo.
To make the channel more appealing to viewers, MTV employed video jockey which
generally termed as VJs. Instead of just hosting the program, a VJ will be with the audience
throughout the show. With its interactive programs, music video and VJs as host of its
programs, MTV brand became unique and established a different Brand Identity of its own.
As the MTV co-founder Bob Pittman stated: the star would be the channel.
Upcoming and established music stars started depending on MTV to promote their music.
The world of music had changed, shifting from audio competition to audio visual
competition. The visual aspect of music gave the viewer something fresh to enjoy along the
music and it also gave the artist more exposure and recognition of their work.
Even after this initial success, the brand awareness was low among U.S. viewers and adding
to the problem was the refusal by many cable operators to carry the channel, thus keeping it
audience well below their targeted figure. To create brand awareness, MTV devised an
advertisement campaign to reach the unserviced area. In this campaign rock stars like Mike
Jagger, one of the biggest rock stars of the time, endorsed MTV. They made commercials in
which he said the phrase I want my MTV, and then these commercials were aired in areas
where cable providers were not showing MTV. A month after the campaign, the awareness
of MTV between audiences increased from 20percent to 89 percent.


3 PBM Project

Its initial years has been more than an innovative product for its customers as people began
to feel more involved and active, rather than a passive recipient. People involvement became
one of the key for MTVs success, and this established a virtuous circle that strengthened
MTVs brand equity.
But just like every other program of different channels, MTV breakthrough soon reached its
saturation point, where a re-innovation of its products were necessary to be around for a long
term. Apparently it was becoming difficult to retain and satisfy its customer need just by
showing music clips for twenty-four hours a day. Changing the format became necessary,
and this has probably been one of the most challenging tasks to be taken care of by MTV.
The most challenging part was that of changing the program format without changing or
being consistent with its core business and values which MTV has successfully managed to
achieve mostly. It introduced long-form music programs such as: 120 Minutes,
Headbangers ball, Unplugged which were dedicated to different genre. Eventually MTV
tapped into long-form non music programs such as: House of Style, Butthead, The Real
World and Beavis and Butthead giving a subtle but effective change to the MTV brand
which shifted from an all music related brand to that of pop culture.
MTVs lifelong reinforcement of its brand equity has wisely continued by following the
costumers response to its marketing actions, and introducing long-form program slightly
different from the previous ones but still coherent with its values and its identity: TRL,
Celebrity Death Match, and Jackass have given a new impulse to MTV, reaching new
market targets such the 18-25 years old one, that balanced the MTVs massive 12-17 years
old audience, with a more balanced and stable result in a long term view.
With its global expansion into the European and Asian markets, MTV realized that the US
product were not feasible for the new markets as every region has its own distinctive taste
for music. So to capture the global audience, MTV shifted its strategy from being a global to
that of a domestic market one, that offered local content which cater to the regions taste and
culture and eventually it became a benchmark for its future marketing policies. Being a true
global media, it has a high reach to many household. During global and regional crisis, MTV
emerge as a source of information and education for its viewers, evolving into more than a
channel about music and culture. It helped in connecting the young viewer around the world
on common but important concerns and built its credibility as a trusting source.
All these actions have helped MTV to achieve an invaluable added value which is connected
to and stems in its viewers perceptions and awareness of the brand, and that several well
established media company are constantly trying to pair to their brand, in order to attract
more customers.


4 PBM Project

Sources of equity
1. Leading cable music channel, high availability
2. Numerous image associations, multiple genres of music represented
3. Sustainable long-form programming attracts repeated viewership
4. High ratings among key teenage demographic, particularly among females
Changes over time
1. Represented fewer genres originally, but audience wasnt as fragmented then
2. Viewership not as heavily weighted toward young teenagers in past
3. Significantly less long-form programming in past, significantly more videos, less
lifestyle element to channel early on

3) What is the role of music within MTV?
Over the years, the role of the music has constantly changed throughout in the MTVs
programs portfolio. Started as an all music channel, its predominance of music based
programs has gradually and smoothly given away for long-form program as the taste of its
viewers changed constantly, but the music background is constantly present although in
another form: the pop culture. These long-form programs such as sitcoms, realities show,
TV-series with youngsters problems themes, all having music/pop culture background
have strengthened the brand image of MTV over the years. Now music represents roughly
around 25% of it total programs. It has shifted from a pure music network to that of one
which is not just about music but every thing related to music or youth culture.
Though MTV has evolved its programs over the years based on viewers taste, music is still a
part of its image. It is all about youth culture and about connection and music is an integral
part of it. The proof that music is MTVs core business and its brand identity is represented
by the logo which has always borne the M (stands for music) on it although it has changed in
its style throughout the years.
In different regions around the world MTVs logo has became ubiquitous and instantly
recognizable in popular pop or youth culture. It could be safely assumed that the MTVs
logo responds to the key words to be effective: easily recognizable, inherently descriptive
and persuasive.
Changing strategy is important in a companys life, but should always remain consistent
with its value, its history and with its customers expectation which bears its identity in
viewers mind and is its legacy. That the reason why such a popular logo such as MTVs
need to bear the M on it and is still having it.


5 PBM Project

MTV Networks includes many sister channels such as Nickelodeon and Spike TV. How has
MTV been positioned within this network versus the other channels? Is this the right
strategy? What else would you do to optimize the MTV Network brand portfolio?
In the U.S. after being acquired by Viacom Inc. in 1985, MTV Networks under its hood has
numerous cable TV channels including Country Music Television (CMT), Nickelodeon,
VH1, Comedy Central, and Spike TV. MTV Networks premiered MTV2 dedicated to
older audience for whom video viewing was important and MTVu, a channel available
only on college cable systems at 720 universities. As can be seen there are some
commonalities among different sister channels of MTV network, which lays an emphasis on
youth audiences, and on music and lifestyle programming etc.
MTV has been positioned as the main channel and its sister channels focused on different
genre which MTV was not able to cater to. In order to keep up its market share, it evolved
and started long-form programs reducing the music content in its program. Also it was not
able to concentrate on all kinds of music genre and to different viewers need. Mtv2, VH1
and VH1 Classic cover the part of the music genres not covered by MTV itself and played
an important role to curb the early competition that MTV faced during the years.
MTV Networks non music channels diversified in other area of youth entertainment.
Nickelodeon was an animation, adventure comedy channel for kids of 2 to 11 years
complementing MTV in its younger target audience. Spike-TV on the other hand was
developed for men and shows programs which appeals to their life style where as Comedy
Central is a 24 hours all comedy channel.
The strategies adopted by MTV Network helped them to cater to the entire youth segment
from kids to mid aged men and still maintaining its flagship channel MTVs image intact.
Within its music sister channels, executives gave high priority so its content so as not to
minimize overlapping of contents and maximizing viewership.
MTV Network strategies helped it to maximize its viewer base all over the world by
addressing the entertainment need of the different section of its viewer. This in turn helps
them in capturing a large audience thus giving them higher revenue opportunity by way of
advertising. Though its entire sister channels are under one network and cater to the youth
section, their names are different, without any visible connection to its main brand. This
gives its viewer the perception that all these channels are different and its competitors. This
is good for MTV as a channel to maintain its exclusive brand image without diluting it thus
keeping a clear perception in the mind of its viewers. On the other side though, it limits the
MTV Network brand portfolio as all these channels in its viewers perception is not clearly
connected thus not giving the brand identity that is enjoyed by MTV. Not just to be under


6 PBM Project

one network but it should also try to come under one brand name so as to increase its brand
image just like star network. It has different channel like movies, sports, family etc. catering
to different audience and its entire channel have the same brand associated with it. Its
channels are known as star movies, star sports, star world etc. this shows that all the
channels are associated with each other and are under one network. This kind of association
with its network will help in optimizing MTV Networks brand portfolio.
4) Technology is changing the way viewers watch television and interact with programs.
Discuss the role of the Internet and technology within MTV. What has MTV done well
to date to integrate technology with the brand and what else should MTV do?

Around the world teenagers and young adults turned to their local MTV channel or website
to learn about more events and connect with others. The separate on air and online sections
of MTV and MTV.com were developed to inform and empower young minds to take actions
on issues like education, discrimination, sexual health, etc. The internet and MTV.com
played a critical role in this connectivity.
By 1999 MTV.com attracted more than 2 million visitors each month. MTV also established
sites for MTV2 and for each of its international channels, they resembled the MTV.com site
but content specifically designed for the local markets.
MTV.com received a boost when the music industry came to recognize the internet as an
excellent medium for music. They offered downloadable music at MTV.com for a fee and
then after sometime made the service free for the MTV.com members.
Then the brand launched MTV overdrive a web channel dedicated to streaming MTV
programs, live performances, and music videos. It pioneered online broadcasting giving non
cable subscribers to get involved with the brand, listen to music, meet the personalities,
watch the programs and get involved with the communities hence giving customers more
reasons to interact with brand.

MTV should on air or online should have some long duration programs so that the audience
gets time to relate to the brand. They can start various contests online to keep in the interests
of the viewers who would find something new in this. Special segments for cultural music or
full programs of cultural music might help. Benefits to community members etc. Facebook
or social networking sites are the easiest, most effective and popular way.


7 PBM Project

Internet builds for sense of community, active engagement for MTV brand resonance
Used in viewer votes, scrolling chat boxes, links for more information
Not as integrated into non-interactive content programs on MTV
Not a high-traffic destination for music and info online

5) MTV Networks includes many sister channels such as Nickelodeon and Spike TV. How
has MTV been positioned within this network versus the other channels? Is this the
right strategy? What else would you do to optimize the MTV Network brand portfolio?

Yes. It was right strategy

MTV network positioned itself in fast growing nation, by targeting Asia China and
Mandarin .As MTV positioned itself 1
st
global brand to launch 24 hour TV channel in the
country. After two years China nickelodeon channel targeted children 2 to 14 year old.MTV
learnt key to success was think and act locally.
Furthermore, within MTV network executive needed to evaluate MTVs position relative to
its sister channels, in order to maximize viewership and minimize overlap with other
channels and website. Biggest challenge would be to remain relevant to its core audience of
young consumer.
According to me MTV network need to focus more on internet for brand portfolio, So that
Dynamic programming and efficient advertising could be achieved .

VH1 adopted older positioning, in turn made MTVs positioning younger, generally
positive affect on equity
MTV2 played more music, made many viewers nostalgic for the way MTV used to be,
potentially negative affect on equity
Various genre-specific offshoots reflective of audience fragmentation, could lead to
lower ratings for parent network but only available on satellite and digital cable
networks at the time



8 PBM Project

6) Over the years, MTV has evolved from a channel about music to a channel about the
culture of music to a channel about culture. What does the future hold for MTV
globally and domestically?

After developing a successful model, global and local competition is expected to get
fierce. Students are encouraged to discuss the emerging competitors in this area.
It is possible for MTV in the future to consider extending the brand to different products
that are consistent with the culture theme.
MTV might consider using the internet and the new technological channels to reinforce
the strength of the brand.