VH1 Fields 9 Sponsors For Music Awards Debut

Brandweek, Sept 18, 2000 by David Finnigan

Underscoring its credibility as an authority on all things Music, VH1 has assembled nine sponsors for its inaugural "My VH1 Music Awards," with Canada Dry Circuit City AT&T, Toyota, L'Oreal, Yahoo!, Intel, MasterCard and

Tivo jumping aboard the interactive viewer event, where voters choose winners online right up until they are announced in a live broadcast Nov.30 from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Canada Dry's first awards sponsorship, and its first foray into VH1, comes as the ginger ale brand eyes new patrons, "especially with the younger end of the 29-to-54 demographic," said company rep Mike Martin.

Canada Dry will get 81 spots on other VH1 shows and will support the awards event with product giveaways.

Mark Mclntire, promotion marketing group vp at VHl, said sponsors came aboard shortly after the two-hour show was announced last spring, partly because all were seeking inroads to rock music-loving consumers aged 25-34, the core VH1 audience. "We bring a lifestyle and brand spin to them that brings them close to rock and roll ... The exciting thing for VH1 is that with very little information, nine sponsors jumped on immediately."

Besides Canada Dry, off-channel promos include Circuit City's bin card reminders in October to watch the show attached to CDs of nominated musicians, followed by newspaper and circular inserts in November. Duracell, while not a sponsor, is buying TV spots and will hype with sweepstakes gifts of CD carrying cases and in-store displays.

The awards are part of VH1's ongoing effort to broaden its brand, as the channel just released the first of its Behind the Music titles--"VH1 Behind the Music: Willie Nelson" -- for fellow Viacom-owned Pocket Books. Due next month: the VH1 Radio Network with Westwood One.

Last week's Federal Trade Commission report, which excoriated Hollywood for marketing violent, usually R-rated, movies and video games directly to children, caught studio executives not off-guard, but still coming up to speed. Vacations and travel were the official reasons behind the general no-show at a rapidly convened Sept. 13 hearing by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Spokesfolk, however, said their studios' major brass will attend the Sept.27 Senate hearing.

Other than RSVPing to Capitol Hill, studios were quiet on the report. However, Walt Disney said it will now include descriptions in ads about why a movie received a particular rating. Disney will continue to prohibit exhibitors from airing R-rated film trailers before Disney family movies or let its ABC television network carry commercials for R-rated fare before 9 p.m.

The action comedy Bait, which hit theaters Sept. 15, features a little product placement for distributor/producer Warner Bros. and Castle Rock Entertainment in a publicity pic. As star Jamie Foxx exits a movie theater in one scene, a poster for the 1999 mob comedy, Mickey Blue Eyes, also a WB/Castle Rock effort, is clearly visible.