Chapter 7- Business Marketing Of MTV

Strategic Alliences

Is an agreement between two or more individuals or entities stating that the involved parties will act in certain way in order to achieve a common goal.  It usually make sense when the parties involved have complementary strengths. The company MTV had teamed up with Microsoft to launch a digital music retailer which, the pair hope, will be the first serious rival to Apple's all-powerful iTunes.

MTV Networks’ URGE is designed to bring the emotional connection of music to the forefront of the digital entertainment experience.  URGE was integrated into Windows Media Player 11. Urge will have more than 2 million tracks available individually at 99c which allows users to transfer songs to more than 100 compatible portable music players , it will offer a deep well of programming and editorial to guide the consumer’s digital music experience including exclusive content from MTV.

 Microsoft and MTV networks have combined their strengths to dramatically redefine how Windows users discover and enjoy music. This makes it easy for people to discover new music and listen to old favorites. Urge provides an experience equally enjoyable for all audiences. Offering constantly updated music feature stories, exclusive interviews, and music videos. With Urge music fans will have a choice in how they want to consume digital music to best fit their lifestyle , also it will be promoted across a broad range of MTV networks platforms such as MTV2, MTVU , MTV hits , and MTV jams .

Another Example of strategic alliances is that MTV parent Viacom and Google have agreed to offer video clips from popular shows on websites in Google’s Ad Sense online advertising network. The result will be a first time that the network will show about 4-5-minute ad-supported clips of TV shows on the web.

The deal has focused its online video efforts on its own branded broadband sites and aimed to generate interests among content owners, web publishers and advertisers, and create new revenue opportunities for both  Google and MTV.

As  part of the deal, MTV Networks will also sell episodes of its programs through Google Video, as it does via AOL and iTunes.

Chapter 8- Segmenting and Targeting Markets of MTV

A Market segment is a group of people that share one or more characteristics. Each market segment is unique and marketing managers decide on various criteria to create their target market. They may approach each segment differently, after fully understanding the needs, lifestyles, demographics and personality of the target. To meet the most basic criteria of a market segment, three characteristics must be present: Homogeneity this is common needs within segment.Distinction wich is unique from other groups and Reaction -similar response to market.

The Main international market segment of MTV is 16 and Pregnant wich  is an reality television series produced by Morgan J. Freeman . It follows the stories of pregnant teenage girls in high school dealing with the complication of teenage pregnancy. Each episode shows a different teenage girl, with the episode typically beginning when she is 4 ¹⁄₂–8 months into her pregnancy. The episode typically ends when the baby is a few months old. The series is produced in a documentary format, with an animation on notebook paper showing highlights during each episode preceding the commercial breaks.

Check this episode:
16 and Pregnant (Season 3) 'Jennifer': "After abandoning sports and losing her friends, Jennifer has to battle with her overprotective parents to accept her boyfriend before she gives birth to twin boys."
Enjoy it.
http://www.mtv.com/videos/16-and-pregnant-season-3-ep-2-jennifer/1662729/playlist.jhtml#more

Week 11- Delevoping and Managing Products of MTV

MTV2 Launched on August 1, 1996 can be considered as an illustration of a new product and management. This channel was created to show more diversities alternative music and older music than regular MTV did.  It includes a diverse mix of all type of music. In its early years it has developed music video programming with 8 hour rotations of different genres from rock to hip hop and alternative. With three different video disc jockeys known as VJS. They had shows called MTV2 Request, that would introduce diverse selection of music with rock, hip hop and pop.

The two-headed dog.

Second Launch took place February 7, 2005 the purpose was to create a unique brand identity for MTV2 targeting 12-34 year old man viewers.  It was reported that the two-headed dog were made to represent rock and hip-hop, the two sides of MTV2. The channel also introduced a new way to credit videos. At the beginning and end of each video, three large, brightly colored bars (either blue, yellow or pink) would appear in the middle of the screen which display the video's information, rather than the traditional MTV style of small white letters in the lower left corner. Also during each show, MTV2's two-headed dog logo would change colors, and a large bar would appear in the middle of the screen to inform the viewer of what program is being shown.

Week 11- Integrated Marketing Communication of MTV

Promotional mix is the combination of promotional tools- Including advertising, public relations, personal selling and sales promotion- used to reach the target market and fulfill the organization’s overall goals.

On Product service - MTV offers to the youth and young professionals a whole package of lifestyle and information all rolled into one. It features music videos, fashion trends, concert tours and promotions. Moreover, it promises value-adding services through news broadcasting and tackling of local issues.

 Price -The amounts of money customer have to “pay” is actually continual patronage of the program. Also, high viewer’s ratings will bring them into line with the market’s perception of MTV’s value, hence increasing their “price “from business such as Kodak, apple , Coca-Cola , etc.

Place-MTV does this well in the sense that they make their service and name available to target consumers through concert tours , music awards , campus tours etc.  They make themselves accessible to their target market through cable channels. Lastly, they select only particular coverage’s that their market would embrace.

Promotion- MTV always has many activities and programs that persuade target customer to patron them.

Week 10- Product Concepts Of MTV

What is a Brand? A brand can take many forms, this include a name, symbol, sign, slogan or color combinations.  It is important to know that a legally protected brand name is called a trademark. Brand can be used to identity; it will affect the personality of a product, company or service.   MTV’s brand strategy had a simple beginning.

 The MTV Logo was designed in 1981 by Frank Olinsky, Pat Gorman, and Patty Rogoff.The original design consisted of a Block 3D “M “with a small graffiti “TV “on the top of it. The very first moments of MTV Logo was an adaptation of the first landing on the moon, directly from NASA this idea was from Seibert’s.

 We decided that the logo should always change, as music, art and culture changes.

Between the 1990s and 2000s, Mtv began to use different colors white logo that was the same as the original. Each summer Mtv start to create a consistent brand across all of its music-related shows.

In 2010 the new logo is designed to be filled in with an unlimited variety of pictures and images. This new logo formally became MTV's official brand mark on February 8, 2010.

Over time, our logo has changed size and style, but the fundamental logo design has stayed consistent.

Week 9 - Chapter 18 Sales Promotion and Personal Selling

MTV's “Choose or Lose” campaign was designed to inform and empower young voters on the political issues that matter to them most, and to provide a platform for airing their views.

In  1992, MTV started a pro-democracy to encourage up to 20 million people to register to vote, in recent years, other politically diverse programs on MTV have included True Life, which documents people's lives and problems, and MTV News specials, which center on very current events in both the music industry and the world. One special show covered the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, airing programs focused on the issues and opinions of young people. MTV worked with P. Ditty’s "Vote or Die" campaign, designed to encourage young people to vote.

The channel also began showing presidential campaign commercials for the first time during the 2008 US presidential election. This has led to criticism that "MTV serves as the Democrats' main youth outreach program."

Week 8 (Chapter 17) Advertising and Public Relations of MTV

 MTV 44 1/2 offers the biggest HD video screen available to advertisers in Times Square, with a worldwide on-air audience of up to 67 million viewers.

MTV 44½ captures the eyes of viewers with unique MTV programming, live tapings, special events, concerts, and MTV-branded creative that breaks through the clutter in Times Square. MTV 44½'s screen dimensions are compatible with those of standard broadcast specifications, which means that MTV 44½ is able to accommodate creative identical to what is already on air. There's no need to resize or produce special creative to run on MTV 44½.  

MTV is the world's most widely distributed television network, the channel's achievements are considerable . MTV reaching almost 600m households in over 150 countries around the globe.  It completely transformed the nature of popular music during the 1980s and 1990s, arguably even more influential on that medium than the introduction of the compact disc. It is also one of only a handful of media properties of recent years which has transcended its original format to become something close to a lifestyle brand and is also the world's most valuable individual media brand. Yet MTV began as simply a cheap way of filling a dead slot in a regional US cable system. 

Week 6 -Retailing Of MTV

Last saturday I went to MTV studios in the New York city. I didn't get inside due to an incovinience in the entrace. I was supposed to has a prior invitation and only authorized personnal was allowed to enter the place . However, a guy calling Kelvin who works as a security , told me that I could get information from www.Mtvstudios.com about what they do. So, I decided to do my own search. 

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In 1997, MTV made its rising success more palpable by inhabiting the building at 1515 Broadway in Times Square. The bulk of the network's live programming took place against the backdrop of Times Square. MTV Live featured celebrity interviews, musical performances, and regular news updates. Though producers downplay the similarities, MTV Live shared several signature elements with Much On Demand, a live show on MuchMusic, a Canadian competitor's channel, including its Good Morning America-styled format of windows displaying onlookers on a metropolitan street. For ten years, screaming fans lined the sidewalk underneath the huge plate-glass windows, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite artist appearing on Total Request Live, and MTV also started throwing Times Square bashes in the studio, filming MTV News segments, and even holding concerts in Times Square itself.

Week 6- Consumer Decision Making of MTV

MTV has been very successful in its almost 30 years on the air. By identifying trends we can distinguish consumer profile and behavior.

 MTV has seen the need for innovative material throughout time due to rapid changing trends not only in music but also in fashion, culture, values and global issues like poverty, starvation, HIV and war.

MTV is a company faced with the need for consumer information in order to innovate and stay up-to-date with new teen-trends.

There are four key factors that influence viewing patters, which define what young people look for when watching TV. .

• The first key factor is that young people are attracted to new programs. Due to this, MTV creates new shows often, usually in the fall. Young people are 20 also attracted to shows that refresh or restart constantly like The Real World, which changes location and participants every season.

• The second factor is that viewers watch MTV mostly at night and this gets later and later due to the introduction of DVDs and the internet. MTV’s prime time starts at 10pm creating a smaller window of viewing time. MTV had to adapt to this new tendency and push back programming schedules.
• The third factor is the fact that the line between reality and TV is increasingly blurred due to communication and digital technology. Now-a-days MTV brings regular people to a celebrity status with shows like Dismissed, while bringing celebrities down to earth in shows like Punk’d. Viewers also want information that they can relate to their lives in a kind of ‘educational entertainment’ with shows like CSI.

• Finally the last key factor is the search for diversity which is key due to the fact that young people drive program trends while the parents follow right behind. Therefore there is a need to satisfy teen wants and try to appeal to the parents. This is the idea that everyone chooses what they want to watch throughout a programming spectrum. Thank to this, the need for diversification arises to meet as many wants/needs as possible.

Week 5- Developing a Global Vision of MTV

Global Vision is one of the most powerful tools that many companies try to succeed. 

 MTV has expanded internationally as well, reaching more than 340 million households in 140 countries via 31 local TV channels and 17 websites (Viacom.com). Launched in 1987, MTV Europe is a 24-hour English language network aimed at viewers aged 16-34; it reaches more than 100 million households. In 1996, MTV Europe divided into four separate services according to region, including MTV UK&Ireland, MTV Central, MTV European and MTV Southern. Other regional MTV networks include MTV Brazil (1990), MTV Asia and Japan (1991), MTV Latin (three separate channels: North South and Central in 1993) and MTV Russia, which was launched in September of 1998 and reaches more than 18 million homes. This channel marked the first time a western television network has been customized specifically for Russian youth ages 14-34. MTV can justifiably claim to be a truly global phenomenon. This must in part be attributed to the transnational appeal of its product - pop music.

Week 4 - The Marketing Environment of MTV

MTV is a household name to teenagers almost everywhere around the world. It is rare to find anyone who has not tuned into MTV, let alone heard of it. It has become one of the largest television channels on earth. MTV is broadcasted to five continents and viewed in over one hundred countries. Because music is extremely important to teenagers, whether it be stress relief or a form of self-expression, every teen needs his or her music. Catering to youth and acting as a counselor through tough times, MTV provides up to the minute music, fashion, lingo, trends, news and more.

It doesn’t matter where you live, whether it is America, Europe, Australia, or wherever, teens are uncertain of themselves and ultimately want to fit in and be accepted by their peers. Although style and appearance should not be one of the most important factors in finding friends and acceptance, it is brutally important during the teen years. But, what is the latest trend? How do we know what’s cool and what’s not? Thank God for MTV! You can tune into MTV and find out what all the latest trends are. Need a favorite song or a fashion tip? MTV is guaranteed to have something for every young person. Not only do teens look to MTV for cool music, hot styles, and the latest lingo, adults also look to MTV in order to understand more their children.   

Successfully marketing a product lies in satisfying one or more of the target audience’s emotional needs. The first step in successfully marketing to a specific group is defining what the strategy will be directed towards- understanding what makes them tick. Some examples of these needs in relation to today’s youth are: acceptance, belonging, pride, and security. MTV has especially tapped into the need for belonging and acceptance by giving youth something common to talk about and experience together- something specifically created with them in mind.

After identifying the needs of the target audience, MTV marketing strategists must devise a method of satisfying those needs.  In an interview from PBS.org entitled “The Merchants of Cool: Interview Todd Cunningham,” the Senior Vice President of Strategy and Planning for MTV calls the method a “feverish addiction to research and understanding young people.” The techniques Cunningham describes are unique and very interesting.  

Everything is videotaped. The first technique is holding focus groups in which the participants are guided to talk about selected topics. They are held in a variety of locations such as basketball courts or random parking lots. The second technique is what Cunningham calls an “ethnography study” in which MTV researchers actually go into the homes of those people they are trying to market towards. The researchers look through closets and music collections and just hang out with the kids to find out what sorts of issues matter to them. The researchers then base the themes of new programs on their findings. A third technique is to travel to various locations to learn about new trends that have the possibility of becoming mainstream, thus ensuring that MTV is always on the cutting edge of popular culture. The final technique is to have random kids recreate their bedrooms at a special location. There, MTV executives can get a first hand look at who their audience is, as well as get direct feedback from the people MTV depends on for its popularity.

 The culmination of all the research is an effort to make relevant programming. In this way, Cunningham notes, MTV can “stay true to the audience.” Relevance is what helps kids relate and keeps them coming back. Relevance is what has made MTV a successful marketer. As the youth changes, MTV will too- otherwise its relevance would be destroyed and it would become just another fad. Instead of growing up with a generation, MTV’s research allows generation after generation to grow up with it.

Week 3 - Ethics and Social Responsibility of MTV

Ethics and moral are two important concepts that you must know about MTV. Ethics is describing as the moral principles or values that generally govern the conduct of an individual or a group.  MTV Company has to be in the center of the ongoing debate over the cultural and moral influence of music and television on young people and society.  It is home to a collection of a huge number of music, shows, and talents in order to reflect the diverse lifestyles of our audiences. Our company is responsible to approach for the way our audiences live.

In addition,  Morals are the rules people develop as a result of cultural values and norms.  MTV Networks reserves the right to reject any materials that contained:  imagery/gestures,  hard liquor placement, nudity, images of license plates, endorse or condone illegal drug or alcohol abuse,  graphic or excessive sexual activity, derogatory characterizations of any ethnic, racial, sexual or religious groups, gratuitous violence and materials which contain language which is vulgar or offensive to our viewers. 

MTV is concerned for society welfare by focusing on the world's social problems and viewing them as opportunities to build profits and help the world at the same time. We try to understand each generation, and through our videos and channels we let our viewers knows about the truth of what is happening to them.

Week 2- Strategic Planning for Competitve Advantage of Mtv

          Our strategies emanate on coordinating with the various record labels and companies so that we could acquire the most number of videos possibble, thus, attracting your attention since the videos that the latter prefers are aired on tv. Also, our channel are creating quite a number of variety shows and programs that satisfy the taste and preferences of the viewers.

MTV - Music vs. Tone vs. Video as better describe “The perfect Combination to satisfy your heard “is the music industry that represents different kind of video music to satisfy the hearts and minds of music costumer around all over the world. Mtv was launched in august 1, 1981 by Mtv networks. It was made at the United States just in English. The picture format used at that time was 4801 (SOTV) and 10801 (HDTV). The headquarters was New York, New York.  Our company had a big impact on the music industry and popular culture.  Slogans such as “I want my Mtv and Mtv is here “ it became embedded in public thought. Our Proposed to dedicated video-based outlet for music was introduced and both artists and fans found a central location for music events news and promotion.

Additionally, the MTV start to put online video site and its main competitor, Vevo, realized a few years ago that it was in their best interest to start focusing on showing music videos online, and have developed their properties and websites to be as smooth as possible.  MTV.com gets around 53 million unique visitors a month and Vevo has around 50 million.  These are pretty huge numbers, and they’ve been growing steadily, which hints at a resurgence of the power of the music video.