Fashion label signs MTV Awards deal

MTV has signed fashion retailer Esprit as a sponsor of its Europe Music Awards in a multi-million pound deal that will give Esprit’s youth brand, edc, TV exposure for the first time.

The partnership marks a change in strategy for Esprit; it wants to launch edc as a standalone brand.

MTV Networks International will produce the brand’s first ads that will air across 14 MTV channels in Europe, and across the Asia-Pacific region, including channels in China, Korea, Australia and India. It is the first time that a sponsor has made a multi-territory partnership with the music awards. 

In addition, activity will launch across MTV and edc websites and in the retailer’s shops across Europe – with competitions and heavyweight “on the ground” support in the week leading up to the awards. The campaign will also break on cinema screens across the region.

It is one of the biggest deals Viacom Brand Solutions International, the MTV sales house, has struck for the music awards, according to Melisa Quinoy, Viacom Brand Solutions International European executive vice-president. The ceremony takes place in Berlin in November.

She says it represents an evolution of client partnerships. “Sponsorship alone doesn’t achieve enough cut-through any more. We have to go beyond that,” says Quinoy, who predicts a rise of “tailored” partnerships across VBS and other sales houses and platforms.

Last month MTV confirmed mobile handset manufacturer Sony Ericsson as a marketing partner for the awards, giving it the chance to promote its trademark Walkman music phones.