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.  

Music Globalization

Globalisation basically means the world becoming small because of the increase and access of transportation and a global telecommunications environment. This process is very healthy for the growth of emerging markets like Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa which form the BRICS, a term used to describe the fast growing economies in the world. Globalisation does not only affect the economy but also influences how music is purchased, distribute and produced (www.unswbmedia.org/mdia1001/).

(image source:google)

One of the biggest problems that globalisation has brought is illegal music downloading and sharing.http://www.heraldsun.com.au/technology/ifpi-says-one-in-four-download-music-illegally-every-month/story-fn7celvh-1226252276195. The internet (Web 2.0) has made it possible for people around the world to access music and download music free of charge from websites all over the world. Illegal music affects the art form in a negative way because then music industry officials and musicians will not be able to make a living from all the hard work they put into their music. In essence illegal downloading of music is just like stealing someone’s monthly salary.

(image source: google images)

Another consequence of globalisation in music is westernisation created by pop culture. Hollywood is not only a movie industry; it has turned into a state of mind in every country created by the western culture we see on TV. When focus is on MTV and Vh1, it becomes hard for our own artists to catch up to developing countries and developed industries. In other words globalisation affects our local industry by changing our perception on how to compare music videos, shows and cultural behaviour (adapting to a new lifestyle).

Shout for a safer South Africa

The Shout team is back this year with a brand new campaign that aims to bring crime awareness at a bigger medium fusing South Africa’s diverse musicians and an iphone application that will change emergency services in S.A http://www.shoutsa.com/news/view/shout-launches-powerful-new-song-and-life-cha.54. This year’s new campaign comprises of a new song and new featured artists have been chosen to refresh the brand. Artists like Arno Carstens, Lira, the Drakensburg boy’s choir and legendary jazz sensation Hugh Masekela are one of the few to name.

Its amazing how South African musicians are beginning to make use of new media to enhance their PR capabilities.To show growth in the campaign, this year’s tactic is using an iphone application that will help people access distress calls, emergency services and phone numbers easier using a local area network . People will also have the advantage of reporting criminal activity around their areas at any time of the day. This will help combat crime in S.Ahttp://www.nationmaster.com/country/sf-south-africa/cri-crime. Musicians and founder’s of the campaign Danny k and Kabelo Mabalane are in partnership with the South African police services in an attempt to get citizens involved in the call for action. Some musicians in the country are supporting the campaign on hash tag #Shout2012; by doing this the impact of music towards social issues could be used in a positive way.

Music and Branding

The growth of music industry in the world has evolved to a more bigger state then expected. South Africa's music industry has been slow at branding it's artist.With the ever increasing demand for change artists try out new ways of keeping their fan base alive and mobilized. So they opt for bigger and more expensive music video's to grab the attention of the masses. whether we like it or not branding  is a fundemental technique to master in PR. Some artists and labels seem to struggle with this but some seem to get it right.

(image souce: ebay)

One of them is New Orleans born hip-hop superstars Lil Wayne and Baby "Birdman" Williams. What started out as a dream turned out to be a successful PR opportunity for them. The lifestyle they live reflects the brands image which encourages people to follow.They have established a cult following introduced by their famous company name "young money cash money"http://ymcmbclothing.org/. The T-shirt has made its way to South Africa and spread like wild fire. When asked why people liked the T-shirt most of them said its a way of lifehttp://orgellaonline.com/2011/12/10/pics-lil-waynes-johannesburg-concert/?cbg_tz=-120.

Marketing and branding in the South African music industry is lacking funding, attention and creativity. So much has to be learned from their international counter parts.http://www.info.gov.za/view/DownloadFileAction?id=70494

(image source: google)

    

African model takes on music channel

Congolese-born African model Joelle Kayembe has been appointed as being the face for Trace Tv, one of the biggest music channels in africa and Europe.http://www.wonted.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2628:tshiamo&catid=925:tune-news&Itemid=38 states that the supermodel/philanthropist is not only aiming at fame but she is also involved in initiatives that will help uplift the youth by being the brand ambassador for Trace Tv.

(image souce: trace tv.com)

 Having an African face to represent a major music channel should pose as a symbol of growth and prosperity in the African content. This bold PR tactic will be a healthy way of breaking socio-economic and racial stereotypes said about black immigrant models in the world http://www.springerlink.com/content/gnvwg1x7l7w22285/. A resent conversation on  http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090622200437AAdUwN1 proved that the perception of black models were said to be mixed race or light skinned. light skinned women are called "yellow bone's" in mostly hip hop and R&B song's. Trace Tv being a big music channel might bring an end to this shameful mind set that seems to be popular in the music (music video) industry.