VMA's and MTV, Ahead of the Advertising Curve

Last night just by happenstance I stumbled upon the MTV VMA's... which brought me back to my days as a junior high student. We used to talk about them on the bus the next morning, that is really why I watched them, and to see 'NSYNC(and you know that is why you watched them too). This is not going to be a blog about the highlight moments of the evening where Kanye took Taylor Swift's thunder, Lady Gaga's wardrobe changed everytime the camera was on her or Janet's MJ tribute. No, this post is about something I payed no attention to as a junior high student, but something I can't avert these days... advertising.

What I noticed were the ads. There was a great Levi's ad done by Wieden+Kennedy:



This as is not what I am talking about either, although it is great isn't it. What I am talking about is the cross branding and promotion that ran durning the VMAs. I saw FOX ads for the new show GLEE and another for CBS. For what I don't remember because I thought somehow my TV had spontaneously switched to CBS while I was brushing my teeth. Now maybe MTV has been at this for along time now and I am antiquating myself, I don't know. But if so, is it working and why would a cable channel drive traffic to a network station?

There is one first I know to be true, "Best Performance in a Pepsi Rock Band Video Award" is the first VMA sponsored award. Why MTV didn't think of the brilliant idea before, beats me. There is great potential in sponsorship and user/listener/watcher/consumer interaction which works with the VMA's like no other award show because of the young demographic. The AMA's do have a T-Mobile "Breakthrough Artist" Award that MTV maybe piggy backing off of, but I think there is still more potential with the MTV audience, because of the constant edge MTV is trying to provide.

Buzz is no longer created on the school bus. Buzz is created before the event, during the event and after the event. While the VMA's were airing, there were 1 million plus tweets, according the the MTV wrap show. The face of advertising is always changing and adapting, which has become evident by MTV, always paving the way, and always walking the line.