Staying Unplugged with MTV

In a bid to promote its show, Micromax MTV Unplugged, and provide some relief to listeners caught on the roads in busy traffic while coming back from office, MTV designed a unique outdoor activity by synchronising the outdoor medium with radio.

The campaign combined audio, visual and digital media. The channel bought the 7-9:30 pm slot of a local radio station (90.8 FM Jago Mumbai) without any commercial break, through the key arterial roads in Mumbai including S V Road, Linking Road and parts of Western Express Highway. Commuters on these stretches during the specific time slot heard episodes of Micromax MTV Unplugged if they tuned into 90.8 FM Jago Mumbai.

The campaign was conceptualised by MTV and its media AoR (agency of record), Vizeum India, and executed in partnership with Posterscope, the out of home arm of Aegis Media.

Traffic jams have become nightmarish in Mumbai. As claimed by some of the recent studies, a person spends 1/5th of his productive hours on traffic-struck roads. Describing the activity, Haresh Nayak, managing director, Posterscope India, says, "People walking on the roads, travelling in cars or public transport can tune in to the radio frequency through their car's audio (FM) device or personal mobile FM. Once they tune in, they can enjoy the non-stop episodes of Micromax MTV Unplugged and listen to the eclectic mix of artistes featured in the show."

Talking about the brief, Nayak says, "We were asked to tell people to listen to MTV Unplugged. The client wanted us to conceptualise an activity that would create immediate recall of the show. Hence, we linked both outdoor and radio to get the desired results."

There were a lot of challenges while executing the activity. Nayak adds, "The challenge was to connect with the listeners and make them listen to music through the outdoor medium that is available for just five seconds."

On the digital front, the campaign allows the commuters to check-in to the MTV Unplugged experience on-the-go using Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare apps. It allows fans to share their comments with their friends on social media and interact with MTV Unplugged. As claimed by the channel, the Facebook page for the show has already crossed 1.2 lakh fans.

Aditya Swamy, executive vice-president and business head, MTV, says, "We live in a world of 24X7 entertainment with maximum interactivity. Through this campaign, we are taking the experience of Micromax MTV Unplugged out in the streets. If you are on the streets, you would be able to see MTV signages and tune into the FM frequency to immerse in MTV's musical journey."

For the record, Micromax MTV Unplugged premiered on MTV on October 1 at 8 pm. It showcases acoustic music, behind-the-scenes and interview footage, along with performances of popular bands and singers such as Indian Ocean, Rabbi Shergill, Rekha Bhardwaj, Mohit Chauhan, Susheela Raman, Advaita, Euphoria, Javed Ali and Shilpa Rao, to mention a few.