Sean Saylor Talks About MTV’s New Identity

Today, MTV launched its new rebranded identity via #MTVbump. The platform enables users to get creative and interact with the channel by creating Vine/Instagram-like videos of up to 15 seconds. Videos using the hashtag will be selected to feature on MTV and showcased between programs.

MTV Canvas will launch later in the summer. This feature is an interactive program where users can create their personal collages using idents, GIFs and emojis, which will also be shared on a digital platform.

Sean Saylor – vice president and creative at MTV International – talks about the process behind reinvention and its significance to MTV.

What was the brief you received for MTV’s rebranding?

MTV is committed to reinvention - every few years we change and evolve.  Internally, we had a call of action to reinvent again.  As part of that, we wanted to take more risks, push creative boundaries and come up with something completely new.

What was the process behind creating #MTVBUMP and MTV Canvas?

Throughout the process, we talked a lot about how we could open up the brand to our audience.  We wanted to find an organic way for them to submit content they created, and to spotlight their work.  And, it was important to us that the audience didn't have to take an extra step- like going in through an app for exle. 

We partnered with the agency B-Reel Creative and together created something that we think does this perfectly. With #MTVbump, we've created a content management system that basically connects the Internet to our linear broadcast system- which means we can pull videos directly from Instagram or Vines from Twitter, and put them up on air within as little as two hours.  It lets us be really topical and local at the same time. 

With MTV Canvas, which will launch later this summer, we wanted to have a product that would let the audience play around with our brand.  Working with a studio called to.be, we are going to give our audience a library of visual content, music, some design tools and a white canvas – the rest is up to them.  You can think of it almost as an online sticker book.   

What is the selection process behind MTV BUMP videos?

We are looking for a couple of things:

-          Creativity, show us what you got!

-          Topicality. Our audience is constantly creating content around events or pop moments that are happening in pop culture, some of these might be global, like something Kim Kardashian and Kanye might be up to, or very local, like a soccer (football) team winning a chionship. If it’s relevant, and our audience is creating content around it, we may select it.

How did you get people to contribute content towards the launch?

We reached out to global artists and influencers, explained to them what we were doing and asked them to join! We had a great response.

What was the inspiration behind the idea?

Our inspiration is our audience.  We looked at every piece that builds the branding for our channel, questioned how it worked, and put it through the filter of how our audience consumes and communicates.  We want to reflect, empower and inspire them.

How did you direct the reinvention specifically towards millennials?

It’s about reinventing the way we communicate with our audience.  It’s about giving them a space and a voice on our channel, finding the right talent out there and giving them creative freedom to express themselves.  It’s really a shift from “I want my MTV” to “I Am My MTV.”

Were there any challenges in targeting such a specific crowd?

The biggest challenge is keeping up with youth audiences. There has been a seismic shift in the way they produce and consume (not only content, but technology), so we had to build this rebrand in a way that can continuously change and evolve with the audience, at their pace. This is why we’ve stayed away from traditional branding with proper style guides. With #MTVbump and MTV Canvas- the audience can take it in any direction they want.  It’s really up to them.  All of our internal content is built to change and evolve continuously as well since we know visual trends don’t last very long.