Topic: Brand Audit

Order Description Brand Strategy: MTV BRAND AUDIT 1. Brand Planning The first element of a brand audit is a full description of the firm’s current branding programs. This involves an analysis of the firm’s brand hierarchy, brand portfolio, strategic branding alliances, the brand’s current positioning in the marketplace, and how the firm is addressing branding through each of the marketing mix elements. Be sure to include brand elements (names, URLs, logos, symbols, characters, slogans, jingles, packaging). Address the following: a) How would you characterize the positioning of your brand? b) Where are there the greatest opportunities to further enhance that positioning? Organigram: Viacom Media Networks was created in 1984. Nowadays, it includes two main group of activities: Music & Entertainment, and Kids & Family. Under the Music & Entertainment group, we will focus on the MTV channel in the United States. MTV offers a selection of music videos, other music-related specials, and non-music shows focused on youth culture and pop culture MVT now has 4 sister channels in the United States: - MTV2: same concept as MTV but targeting young men - MTV Hits: broadcasts music videos (concept of the original MTV channel when created in the 1990s) - mtvU: only digital, targeting college students - MTV Tres: celebrates latino culture, music, and artists (Spanish with English-subtitles) Brand evolution: The brand has shifted strategy since its launch. MTV used to be music-focused,. However the 1990s represent a real strategy shift in terms of broadcasted content. MTV started airing The Real Word in 1992, the channel’s first reality TV series. From that time, MTV varied its programs: live concert broadcasts, music series, reality TV shows. By 2000, the channel had reduced by 36.5% its music videos broadcasting, in favor of reality shows and related series. This shift in strategy was criticised by the oldest fans on the channel, complaining about the lack of music related content. Channel profile and today’s positioning: Name: MTV (Music Television) Launched on August 1, 1981 Original concept: VJs (video jockeys) playing music videos, the “24/7 visual radio station” Original target: teenagers and young adults ( ages 12-34- ref) http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/31/business/media/31adcol.html?_r=0 1992 - 2000s content: introduction then focus on reality TV and series Thanks to its new strategy, MTV broadened its audience, targeting teenagers and young adults while surfing on the reality TV trend. However, it lost its core customers who appreciated the music content. Today, the brand is facing an audience issue: the viewers they had earned in the late 1990s and early 2000s have grown up and are not interested in MTV’s offer anymore. The brand has recently decided to shift its focus to targeting the Generation Z. In terms of content, the company believes that Gen Z is expecting more “layered and ironic” entertainment (ref. http://www.ibtimes.com/sorry-millennials-youre-old-mtv-moving-generation-z-1892783), meaning even more reality series, online interaction and content and original series tailored to the younger generation’s desires. MTV logo: The strategy shift is clearly reflected in the brand’s logo. It used to include the word “Music Television”: However, it dropped this element in 2010: . It is a strong brand statement that the channel is not music focused anymore. (even though the broadcasted programs clearly reflected that shift way before the logo change). MTV now stands for youth culture, not only music culture. Since the channel launched, the logo has had several changes in colors and patterns of the letters. However, the general shape and proportions of the logo have remained unchanged. The MTV logo remains simple and easily identifiable. Slogan: MTV’s 1980s slogan “I want my MTV” quickly became an iconic slogan among TV brands. It showed the strong brand attachment, almost as if a spoiled kid would scream “I want my MTV” and would not stop until he gets it. Nowadays, the brand is surfing on the popularity of this slogan by remastering it into “I am my MTV”, exit the spoiled child and welcome the cool kid embracing MTV’s culture. This new slogan is clearly a will for consumers to identify themselves with the brand. MTV wants to shows that it stands for what the new Gen Z truly is and wants to be. MTV’s positioning is reinforced by this new slogan. MTV star programs nowadays: ? Reality TV: “Jersey Shore, “Teen Mom”. These reality TV shows became representative of the new MTV: ironic, bold and sometimes trashy. “Jersey Shore” is based on “The Real World” format: young people partying and having fun while being filmed 24/7. “Teen Mom” follows teenagers moms and their struggle as they give birth while people their age are partying and attending high school. ? Music: “MTV Video Music Awards” The VMAs is the world #1 awards show on cable for people aged 12 to 34. This program is one of the oldest of the channel, 32 years old. 2015 VMAs reached a 9.8 million audience. However, it is decreasing each year (the show’s peak was in 2011, 12.4 million viewers). There certainly is room for improvement in order to reach more people. Most important, the VMAs is the most-tweeted nonsport program. This is a true success for MTV, given its strategy to target a younger generation very active on social media. Brand partnerships & Social media strategy: Part 2? 2. Brand Building Assessment The second element involves assessing brand building capabilities. Address the following questions: a) How much brand resonance does your brand have? MTV has established itself as the world’s premier youth entertainment brand. MTV reaches about a half-billion households globally and has been the cultural home for millennials since its launch in 1981. MTVs decision to include more programs than its mainstay programming of music video clips was necessary in order for the brand to stay relevant and profitable, as viewers became able to watch videos online at their own convenience. MTV spent years deciding how else to deliver value to its customers and eventually embarked on a complete overhaul of the brand, transforming everything they were doing in programming and marketing (source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/31/business/media/31adcol.html?_r=0). Now, MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its award-winning content that is built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. Nick Shore, MTV’s head of research, explains that MTV is committed to providing the right content for MTV viewers so that its content is always seen as hip and relevant. b) What have been the key marketing activities that have most contributed to the success of achieving its resonance and positioning? The new MTV Logo As outlined in the previous section, MTV decided to change its logo in 2010 after 30 years. The new logo largely forgoes the network’s music heritage and has become a three dimensional design that instead showcases MTV’s reality-stars such as the cast of Jersey Shore. MTV has expanded so much from just offering music content and they wanted the logo to be flexible enough to have the artists within it but also the stars of our shows. MTV general manager Stephen Friedman said that MTV used to have a problem with brand recognition among viewers who would be interested in certain shows but had no idea they aired on MTV. The new logo frames the TV content, making it a simple reference point. MTVs logo redesign contributed to the brand’s strong resonance and speaks to its target audience in a much simpler and bolder way. MTVs Insights - Providing its Viewers With The Right Content In addition to MTVs logo redesign, MTV continues to make conscious efforts to provide its viewers with the right content, which has greatly contributed to MTVs success of achieving brand resonance with its audience. Currently, MTVs main target is the millennial generation and the brand continues to conduct research to catalyze insights on this consumer segment in order to deliver the most value. MTV strives to understand this generation and speak to the truth of what is relevant to them. MTV Insights is a program that is part of MTV Research, which reveals emerging trends and studies to feed MTV’s “radical audience intimacy.” (ref. http://blog.srds.com/blog/sophia-venetos/how-mtv-successfully-reaches-millennials-a-new-and-very-different-generation). MTV uses this research to help its partners see the world through young people’s eyes. It fuels their work with advertisers and partners and they upstream their insights to producers to help inform programing. For example, Nick Shore conducted a study called the Millennial Edge with the purpose of determining new ideas for programming. As a result of this study, MTV decided to terminate its current hit show “The Hills” because Shore discovered that viewers were beginning to look for a different kind of reality show, one that was more authentic with more honest storytelling. After uncovering these insights, The Hills wrapped up its final season and MTVs reality shows went in a more down-to-earth direction with series like “I Used to Be Fat” and “Teen Mom.” MTV insights help the network provide its audience with content that they actually want to see. The MTV brand is consumer-centric and makes all of its major decisions based off of what they learn from their viewers and prospective viewers. Social Media Activities In addition to refining MTVs content strategies, MTV also implements successful social media campaigns that contribute to the success of achieving strong resonance with its consumers. For example, MTV really stepped up its digital game at this year’s EMA (European Music Awards) ceremony in Milan. MTV had snapchat Live Stories running during this year’s show, a virtual reality app allowing people to experience Ed Sheeran’s dressing room, vloggers using Periscope, which all resulted in a one of a kind type of marketing. In addition, MTV teamed up with Instagram for the first time ever through a backstage selfie area. Within the area, artists nominated for awards are encouraged to use Instagram’s new boomerang app to help promote the MTV EMA brand and its sponsors. MTV has always been innovative in its social media efforts, striving to deliver unique content to its viewers. Back in 2013, for example, MTV launched a social media campaign to reveal the new location for the Video Music Awards that followed the astronaut themed trophy as it made its way from LA to New York. Director of social media, Tom Fishman, helped the audience retrace the Moonman’s steps as he left LAX and arrived at JFK. The concept of the MTV Moonman taking selfies of himself, much like MTV’s audience does, as he embarked on the #RoadtoTheVMAs was easy to follow and relate to and allowed fans to enter at any given point and quickly catch up. The pictures generated over 60,000 likes and the campaign reached 615,000 unique users on Facebook. Leveraging “Second Screens” to Offer Greater Value (MTV App) According to a study by Nielson, Social TV has changed the relationship between TV viewers where viewers are now using their tablets, smartphones and laptops as they watch TV so that they can follow their favorite shows, share content and connect with fellow fans before, during and after a program. Given this phenomenon, in 2013 MTV decided it needed to improve its mobile offerings with the launch of an Android and iOS app that not only lets fans catch up on their favorite shows but also use their smartphones and tablets in conjunction with live programming. MTVs android app highlights the need for broadcasters to bundle multiple features into a universal app for viewers. According to Vice President of communications at MTV, Kurt Patat, MTV strives to be everywhere that its fans are so that it can continue to offer them great value across all channels. The free android/ iOS app allows MTV TV subscribers to log in with their account information to access full-length versions of their favorite shows. In addition to that, the MTV app doubles as a companion guide during live programming. The app syncs to on-air primetime content to pull up photos and trivia while viewers watch a TV show. Viewers can also browse through facts and read exclusive show information from the app. MTV is also capitalizing on the growing stream of social conversations during shows by pulling in show-specific Twitter feeds. Viewers can also tweet and Facebook chat directly from the app. All of these services were designed to capture viewers as they navigate their “second screen” while watching TV so that MTV can continue to serve its consumer base and increase its resonance among viewers. Current Digital Marketing Effort Currently, MTV International is working on developing its most recent digital marketing strategy with its recent launch of MTV Bump. MTV Bump is aimed at becoming the “Instagram of Television.” Any user generated video content that is produced through Instagram or Vine and uses the hashtag #MTVbump, now appears on MTV channels within the following two hours. The content is aired during ad breaks and strives to find the next major viral star. So far the strategy has been a great success, with content airing on over 1,200 times a day across MTVs global channels. MTV is now trying to figure out a way to allow sponsorships to use MTV Bump in a way that keeps the content authentic and in line with what millennials would want to see. MTV Bump is another collaborative and engaging social strategy that further increases the level of resonance MTV has with its consumer base. This campaign allows users to be part of the content generation process, which is important among to MTVs target consumers. This campaign is collaborative and makes MTV viewers feel like part of the brand. c) How would you suggest that they improve on their brand building activities? One suggestion for how MTV could improve on their brand building activities is to leverage the VMA’s as an extension of the MTV brand and implement specific social platforms for this brand. For example, MTV has done tremendous efforts on social media and across all other digital platforms ensuring that it provides its consumers with the most value. MTV, however, has moved away from its core offering and position of being a music video network and many consumers are still interested in this type of content but would like it to be delivered in a way that is more convenient for them. MTV doesn’t have to stop focusing on what the brand was built off of in the first place, but it should implement strategies to deliver this content in a more innovative way. For example, MTV VMA could have its own social platforms (Instagram account, Facebook et.) that would focus on MTV’s music offerings. In addition MTV VMA could have their own app that offers inside information and facts about artists, upcoming events, new releases etc. The app could also be a place where fans could connect with other fans about music they like or dislike. The app would also host all of the music videos in one spot so that consumers could access them and view them at their own convenience. When MTV decided to reposition itself as more than just a music video network it was a smart decision for the overall brand but MTV disappointed some of its original consumers who loved MTVs music offerings. MTV should try to continue to offer value to those consumers who are passionate about the music industry and the changes within it. MTV should stay on top of the way consumers consume music, as it shifts quite often, and try to deliver them the greatest way to share and consume music from MTV. The VMA’s are also a global event that always has a huge audience and following. If MTV leveraged this to launch a brand extension that was focused on improving the way MTV delivers music to its consumers, I think this would even further increase MTVs brand resonance. 3. Brand Growth Assessment The third element involves assessing growth potential and providing recommendations. Address the following questions: a) How would you critique your brand’s architecture? b) What is good and bad about its hierarchy? c) How does it fit into a broader brand portfolio? d) How well has it been expanded into new markets or channels? e) How would you judge its growth strategy?