The MTV Video Music Awards are music’s most iconic night – an electrifying live show guaranteed to deliver unforgettable performances, unpredictable highlights and irresistible moments for the pop culture history books. Our promise to fans worldwide is front-seat access via consistent updates - fast and prolific across every platform.
Planning a social video strategy for the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards was an ambitious mission. The team had achieved unprecedented numbers in 2022 as the most social telecast of the year, so we had a mighty challenge ahead with aspirations to innovate, increase metrics across the board, and help drive viewership for the September 12 broadcast.
In 2023, we challenged ourselves to:
- Emphasize the marketing campaign with platform-intentional creative
- Own the social conversation (via Nielsen Social Content Ratings)
- Surpass 2022 engagements on social
- Introduce new innovations
LEAD UP:
- Voting launched in early August:
- Fans started voting for their favorite artists to win a Moon Person
- Double Days and Power Hours incentivized superfans
- Personalized assets for each nominee helped further activate their fanbases – leading to over 300 additional voting posts from Dua Lipa, Shakira and more
- Launched the first VMA fantasy game on the Facebook mobile app. Correct predictions rewarded fans worldwide with bragging rights
- Documented the MTV Moon Person’s journey to the VMAs on TikTok, collaborating with influencers and leaning into timely trends
- Amplified talent announcements:
- Custom assets provided to artists for personal accounts, with performers, including Cardi B and Stray Kids, sharing over 100 posts reminding their fans to tune in
- Cross-platform support amplification across @MTV and @VMAs, including IG collabs with artists like Video Vanguard Shakira
- Released Custom Video:
- Posted iconic moments from the archives
- Celebrated memorable performances with 6 new episodes of VMAnimation, including Bad Bunny and Miley Cyrus
- Launched sponsored episodes of 20 Questions and Phone Raiders
- Produced two 24-hour YouTube livestreams honoring the Video Vanguard and Global Icon recipients
- Compiled best show moments with VMA Nominees from MTVE IP, including Wild ‘N Out, Ridiculousness and more
- Launched four social voting categories (Group of the Year, Song of Summer, the brand-new Show of the Summer, Album of the Year) on @MTV’s Instagram Stories week of show – giving fans another chance to crown their favorite artists and songs of the year
- During rehearsals, we shared interviews, sneak peeks, teases and portraits to build even more buzz for the highly-anticipated event
SHOW DAY! Coverage on EVERY Platform:
- We kicked off the night with a Red Carpet Pre-Show, and streamed live from the carpet on MTV’s TikTok, Facebook, X and YouTube
- Live voting for Best New Artist
- Launched first-ever Snapchat AR voting lens for an award show, allowing fans to vote in real time via Snapchat and MTV.com
- Promoted on air, on social, and in the venue
- Stars captured their own final outfit checks at the Last Looks mirror
- Chicken Shop Date comedian Amelia Dimoldenberg brought her own unique flair to the red carpet, interviewing celebs for @MTV social accounts
- Roaming footage from Red Carpet, backstage and in venue took over all platforms from VMAs, MTV and supporting MTVE accounts
- Our backstage livestream POV: VMA launched on TikTok, FB, YouTube and X. We put phones in the hands of VIP guests, and set up celeb audience cams that resulted in a pop culture takeover of Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez memes
- The best show moments were clipped and distributed in real-time across platforms
- We partnered with GIPHY to live GIF the show
- Three Snapchat Highlight Shows launched over the course of VMA weekend
Year after year the MTV team challenges itself to go bigger than ever before, consistently evolving our social strategies to match platform updates, audience interests and ever-shifting trends. In 2023 it paid off with record breaking results!
- Most social award show of the year – in Nielsen's Social Content Ratings (SCR)
- Most engagements in VMA history
- Largest TMC (total minutes consumed) in VMA history
- Most social VMAs in history
- Highest rated in three years
- Trending #1 on X worldwide
- 104% YoY growth in Best New Artist live voting
- 365% YoY growth in Snapchat engagements
