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Corporates slug it out over MTV prime-time slots

Savio G Pinto & Reeba Zachariah in Mumbai

Advertising opens up new vistas every year. But what are serious corporate entities like Citibank, ABN Amro, General Motors and the Tata group doing with MTV these days?

No, its definitely not an identity crisis that they are going through. Booking prime-time slots on MTV is just another way of connecting with the funky youth brigade to keep their business going.

The new mantra, it appears is "catch them young."

"Research has shown that the Indian youth have a huge influence on purchase decisions. Advertisers have recognised MTV's expertise in connecting with young people, and are increasingly tying up with us through exciting programming, online extensions and our big-ticket events. It not only gives the advertiser direct access to the youth, but also has a big rub-off on the MTV youth gene," Alex Kuruvilla, managing director of MTV India, said.

MTV recently tied up with Bharti Televentures, which runs the cellular network AirTel, for an innovative programming initiative.

According to Hemant Sachdev, director, Bharti Televentures, "With the youth now leading growth, we decided to partner with MTV to tap this business critical segment."

Earlier this year, Citibank, a regular sponsor and advertiser on MTV, came on board to sponsor 'Be heard: an MTV global discussion with Colin Powell.'

The Tata group, which is trying to sport a new youthful image, is also a regular advertiser on MTV.

The group was the sponsor of the Youth Marketing Forum, an MTV initiative, and also roped in MTV as media partner for the Tata ATP tour.

Other unconventional advertisers on MTV include, Hindustan Petroleum, Castrol, TVS Tyres and some financial services companies.

"These organisations cannot afford to ignore the youth since they play an important role in influencing decisions. Also, with the youth being the future talent pool for corporates, these organisations would like to build thkeir brand equity so as to attract young, vibrant and innovative people to create a dynamic human resource base," Shailendra Singh, managing director of Percept Advertising, said.

However, Keertan Adyanthaya, vice-president, content and communication, Channel V, says his channel has not witnessed the phenomenon.

"We do not see such advertisers on our channel since our channel is young at heart. It only shows that their audience profile has changed," he said.

"Advertisers are a savvy lot. If they are spending money on the channel (MTV) then obviously there must be an audience. It only shows that they are no longer catering to the youth," he explained.

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