1986
This 60-second clip from 1986 is an ad produced by MTV for use by local cable affiliates. Here it includes the number for Adelphia cable at the end. By 1986, MTV was not arguing in its own promos about the importance of getting it in stereo as it once had. But part of that pitch had always benefitted cable affiliates, who could charge subscribers for stereo connections, usually with a monthly fee. By 1986, stereo was becoming more common on cable and broadcast tv, and connections to stereos were becoming easier due to stereo VCRs.
When MTV aired a Monkees marathon in 1986, it contextualized episodes of the 1960s NBC sitcom within its flow with short clips of various MTV artists discussing the significance of the band for them. Instead of just an old sitcom, the Monkees became appropriate MTV content, and indeed the band experienced a resurgence of popularity among a new audience. Here we can see how commercial segments are buffered by these artist clips, maintaining a sense of MTV flow. The commercials here include Colgate tooth paste, Diet Coke, the American Sewing Association, and Doritos chips. The Sewing Association ad actually won an award from an industry group for the most creative use of cable. In it, you can see that it targets the MTV audience in order to convince them they can make one of a kind outfits (like they might see on MTV) if they sew.
In this promo taken from during the Pleasant Valley Sunday Monkees marathon in February 1986, MTV make the bold claim that it was the first channel to world premiere a commercial. That was Michael Jackson's Pepsi ad in 1984. Now it will premiere a Pepsi ad featuring Glen Frey, enjoying a little success as a solo artist, and Don Johnson, enjoying success as a star of Miami Vice. Each reportedly was paid $1 million for the commercial. The promo says MTV will premiere prior to it airing during the Grammys. With promoting a commercial, MTV took another step blurring the boundary between commercial and noncommercial content. Miami Vice was regularly described as being influenced by the look and sound of MTV. With this ad, Pepsi targeted more of a rock crowd than its earlier commercials in 1984 and 1985 starring Jackson and Lionel Richie.
The flow from 1986 includes a Showtime commercial mimicking a music video (sort of) cut to "The Heat is On" from Beverly Hills Cop, but with lyrics about Showtime. More compelling, perhaps, is the Max Headroom ad for Coke (the new one) which was a new advertising approach for the company targeting young people, versus the ads used to advertise Coke Classic. Also there is a contest to have Prince come to your town and show his new movie, Under the Cherry Moon. That's a great example of MTV's marketing partnerships which could also produce programming.
