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Music channel MTV is beginning its third hunt for veejays
in five years.
The
nation wide search for fresh young faces to reflect the spirit
of the brand got underway on 3 April at a media conference
in downtown Mumbai. Colgate-Palmolive's Fresh Energy Gel has
tied up with MTV for the VJ hunt, using its strategic lifestyle
marketing approach as a backdrop to the talent search.
 True
to the MTV image, a mysterious yellow cloaked mascot, called
the MTV VJ Hunter, prowled the venue, even as celeb VJs including
Cyrus Broacha, Mini and others basked in the spotlight.
The
exercise will definitely be no quiet talent search, however.
Auditions will be held at local hangouts and clubs in Mumbai,
Delhi and Bangalore and aspirants can even send in their applications
on the net. Viewers also get to vote on the finalists, and
one lucky voter will get an opportunity to VJ on MTV for a
day.
Earlier MTV hunts have produced VJs including Maria Goretti,
Nikhil Chinappa, Amrita Arora and Mini. The search this time
will not be confined to simple  advertising
- MTV is targeting print, outdoor and the net with a vengeance.
While partner indiatimes.com will provide the Internet platform
for interactivity, innovative initiatives including ads on
BEST bus tickets and Colgate toothpaste packs are on the cards.
The
hunt will yield a maximum of four veejays for the channel,
says MTV managing director Alex Kuruvilla, all of whom will
be absorbed in the existing 25 shows being aired on the channel,
as well as the vignette programming that has commenced on
MTV.
MTV,
says Kuruvilla is undaunted by the efforts of rival Channel
V to grab viewer and media attention. "The MTV Star Hunt
and the Video Ga Ga contest  have
been doing the same exercise", he says, dismissing the
Popstars venture as a one off event that will not make a dent
in MTV's popularity. Robust marketing and a strong programming
calendar have ensured its leadership, he says.
Indiatimes.com, however, does not seem to have any qualms
about first partnering V's Popstars and then helping arch
rival MTV hunt for veejays. Says CEO Mahendra Swaroop, "We
are just a media platform for anyone to make use of."
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