Earlier this month, we reported that MTV had launched separate creative and media reviews, looking for new agency partners as the channel aims to reclaim its former identity as the place to go for all things trendy in pop music. (Contrary to earlier claims, the channel itself is running the review without a third party consultancy; its parent company Viacom is not directly involved.)
Since then we’ve received some contradictory information regarding the agencies involved in the pitch to represent what remains a well-established brand.
We hear that MTV reached out to several of the industry’s most recognizable agencies including Wieden + Kennedy and 180LA for this review, but the most interesting angle on the story may be the number of shops that chose to sit it out.
We contacted each of the 5 organizations rumored to be pitching the business today; all have declined to comment, and a source close to MTV also did not share any details about the shops involved.
That said, we did get some interesting takes from sources with knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the review. They told us that at least a couple of very well-regarded agencies opted out for different but related reasons. One said that they were interested but that their roster is currently too full, which we take to mean other accounts are simply more valuable. Another party said that the MTV spend was too small and the brief too challenging, meaning they see an uphill battle to bring the brand back to its former glory.
Kantar Media does not have any data available for the channel’s paid media totals, but our sources strongly implied that the numbers weren’t big enough to justify the participation of several top creative shops.
The review should be resolved by the end of this month.