Remember when MTV promised to deliver music via television? The MTV of the 1980s was completely different than the MTV that teens watch today, and the logo has been changed to better reflect that new brand promise. While it’s true that the brand name should actually change in order for the name to match the promise, the company is only changing the logo at this time.
However, MTV’s content has changed since its 1981 debut in an effort to keep up with the changing world around it and shifting consumer demands. You can’t fault the company for making that change, even if the brand name is now an oxymoron. In a time when teens (and even adults) can go to YouTube anytime of the day or night and find just about any music video or live performance to watch at their leisure, it would seem obvious that the original MTV format wouldn’t bring in enough viewers anymore to keep the channel afloat.
There is no doubt that MTV has put a lot of effort into remaining relevant, but that relevancy has moved from music to something else entirely. Remember when “I want my MTV” was practically the mantra of a generation? Now, that was a powerful brand!
Susan Gunelius is the author of 10 marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and technology books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, an award-wining blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.
She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include large and small companies around the world and household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more. Susan is frequently interviewed about marketing and branding by television, radio, print, and online media organizations, and she speaks about these topics at events around the world. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.
It stands for “Masonic TV.” In fact, the MTV logo has been attached to a masonic temple (just Google it) in Toronto, Canada. This is no accident. This channel has contributed to the destruction of an entire generation and celebrated the “Do what thou Wilt” philosophy.