MTV and Swatch launch viewer-led youth clip show

MTV Europe and Swatch, the iconic Swiss watch brand, have teamed up to launch MTV’s first completely user-generated viewer-led show called MTV’s Best Show Ever.

The partnership marks Swatch’s first pan-European multi-platform partnership with MTV. The tie-up will see a dual-branded TV series, website and competition rolled out as part of the initiative to drive awareness of both brands.

Melisa Quiñoy, executive vice-president, Europe at Viacom Brand Solutions International, says the crossplatform strategy will see TV drive traffic online, which will then push content back to TV. She says the motivation behind the deal is to expose Swatch’s target market to new concepts and products, and underline the continued relevance of TV as a medium to target youth audiences.

She says: “Digital is important but works only once consumers have been exposed to a product or brand in the first place. As a young lad in consumer research said, ‘You can’t Google new bands’ – they need to be shown them first.”

MTV’s Best Show Ever will comprise 12 five-minute shows created exclusively from submitted viewer footage, and kicks off in July.