Candidates want their MTV -- and they're getting it
MTV is a political flip-flopper. After refusing political advertising since 1981, the channel famous for music videos and reality TV now has decided to take the campaign money and run, according to a story in Advertising Age magazine.
MTV is setting up some boundaries -- it will take ads only from political candidates and party political committees, not from third parties. It makes sense that it would accept them, given the groundbreaking Rock the Vote and "Choose or Lose" get-out-the-vote efforts.
Now that the network has gone this far, I would like to see it set up some quality standards, much as the upscale magazines regulate the advertising that can appear in their publications. The ads would have to fit the MTV audience. It would be great to see some edgy, boundary-busting ads aimed at MTV youth that really reach the issues that affect that generation -- education, environment, economy.
What do you think? Will the professorial Barack Obama or the great-grandpa-aged John McCain be able to capture the affections of the MTV generation?
Comments
.....before I trurn blue, holding my breath...what kind of music????
Posted by: Isabell lawson | July 1, 2008 5:56 PM
Actually there many videos already in circulation on YouTube that would be suitable for MTV. I haven't watched MTV for probably over 20 years so I'm not one to advise marketing strategy but one Obama video has the music of Bob Dylan (The Times They Are A Changin') and another has Phil Collins (In The Air Tonight). There are many others with varying music. I also found some McCain videos, although I think the anti-McCain videos outweighed the pro McCain videos.
A good many of these videos are made by third party people so those wouldn't qualify.
Posted by: Scot | July 2, 2008 10:12 AM