MTV Push Campaign

MTV which is also known as music television is still the worlds leading music channel and music power house which has spread across the world like wild fire. As part of their corporate social investment plan they have introduced a segment in the channel called MTV push which is solely made to touch on up coming Rock, Hip-hip and Pop artists who are still on the rise. The campaign runs on both MTV base Africa, MTV UK and also on the official MTV channel (MTV 2) broadcasted in the United States of America where the channel first started. http://www.mtv.co.uk/push

(MTV Push brand logo with branded colours.image source: mtv push.com )

The Campaign

The key to a successful PR campaign is to make it as exciting as possible for the targeted audience. The campaign runs as a pop up feature which happens after an ad break, music video or show has played. A bright splatter of pink bursts on the screen covering the screen links with pink. Then during the music video information about the artist is displayed clearly on the bottom of the screen. The viewers are then encouraged to go to the website and vote for the push artist of the month. A brief interview with the artist is done before the music video is played, where he/she is given an opportunity to tell viewers about future projects, featured artists or anything related to their music.http://www.behance.net/gallery/MTV-Push-Brand-Campaign-Studio-Hansa/2946055

(Mike posner: one of the most successful Push artists now endorsing reebok. image source:mtv push.com)

The purpose of the campaign

The purpose of the campaign is to get MTV viewers and followers the opportunity to be a part of the channel by putting them in the driver seat. MTV has introduced this as a rookie segment of the show where the audience can start a conversation about the push artist of that month. Buzz and publicity is then created around that particular musician. Twitter is then flooded with trending topics about the push artist which then gives MTV credibility and a source of closure with the public as they have helped an up coming artist reach stardom in just a few weeks. http://www.mtv.com.au/music/mtv-push/   

  

Musician Philanthropists

Let’s rewind back on the drug abuse blog we did in February and try not to focus on musicians in a negative light all the time. When given support and opportunity our entertainers can really impact our world in a positive way. Adult contemporary singer Lionel Richie proved this in the ninety’s when he gathered over 30 artists to perform the Michael Jackson smash hit “We Are the World” to raise funds and awareness for the impoverished and war affected countries in the African content.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Are_the_World

(Various artists performing the lionel richie produced song for africa -source: we are the world.com)

The song was then used again to raise funds and awareness for Haiti, which was hit by one of the biggest earthquakes that most scientists have ever witnessedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Are_the_World_25_for_Haiti. Coordinated by the Haiti born world renowned reggae artist Wyclef Jean and assisted by Grammy award winner pop sensation Will I Am. But this time the power of social media posed as an advantage when artists could tweet about the matter and engage with organisations on a more intimate platform.

(Various artists performing to raise awareness for africa-source: we are the world.co.za)

 

http://www.parade.com/celebrity/trend-blend/slideshows/musicians-who-give-back.html#?slideindex=0But one artist who has been active in giving back is R&B superstar Alicia Keys who has been involved in different philanthropic projects especially those related to youth development and diseases including Aids and social issues in Africa.http://mtvmeets.com/d.ph?&PageID=780&IX=7718 She also gave a motivational lecture on Mtv base sponsored by MTN where she sat down with young educated pupils who are inspired to bring about change in the African continent. Surely some of our artists do help the needy.

(Alicia Keys poses at a photo shoot-source: google)

Nicki Minaj's Marketing in South Africa

Nicki Minaj is expected to perform in numerous venues for her South African leg of her Pink Friday tour. Nicki Minaj has been the most outstanding and followed female Hip-Hop and pop artist for the past two years. She has dominated our Tv screens with her colourful music videos and her controversial lyrics which has made her stand out from the rest. With her new album released on the 2 of April 2012 the queen of hip-hop has managed to sell 118,849 copies on her albums first week of release http://www.hiphoplead.com/news/nicki-minaj-pink-friday-roman-reloaded-album-first-week-sales/.

(Nicki Minaj in her new music video-source: hiphoplead.com) 

 The hype created around the South African tour is amazing because the dates and venues have not yet been confirmed yet, which measures the PR difference of the alertness of South African media to market and advertise on international artists and the lack of Marketing and advertising that we have in South Africa towards our own local talent. Mtv base africa had a Nicki Minaj day where they played her music video's, Documentary and songs she has been featured on throughout her careerhttp://www.mtvbase.com/shows/top-10-nicki-minaj/#showSummary.South African record labels and PR managers are not keeping up with this trend.



(Nicki Minaj poses for the camera-source: hiphoplead.com) 

Nicki Minaj managed to break away from being a back drop member of a hip-hop group to being one of the most influential mogul in the Hip-Hop industry. But that did not happen over night. The South African music industry executives should reinvent themselves and think creatively starting with airplayhttp://www.mio.co.za/article/south-african-music-airplay-an-introspective-analysis-2008-05-14.