FUSE Music Television
FUSE Music Channel
gave viewers the one
thing MTV was forgetting about: MUSIC.
In 2003, MTV (Music Television) contained little to no music programming whatsoever. It was all about glitzy celebrities and scandalous reality shows with privileged teens. Enter FUSE, formally MuchMusic USA, a network dedicated to putting the “M” back into music television.
Our strategy was to go directly after MTV, one of the most celebrated and never questioned networks of all time. First we posted billboards across from MTV studios calling them out. Then when MTV had their beach house filled with beautiful people, we countered with a broken down trailer filled with hookers and roustabouts.
We countered with a broken down trailer filled with hookers and roustabouts.
While MTV had Tara Reid hanging off Carson Daly, we had "celebrity guests" of teen runaways and Officer Pickles. FUSE only cared about showing music videos and very little else. Which is why all our work looks intentionally very crappy, cheap, unpolished, and completely juvenile.
FUSE only cared about showing music videos and very little else.
In the press
NY Post: Upstart Gets in MTV’s Face • NY Post: Apple Blows Fuse Over Ads • Rolling Stone • Ad Week: Fuse Pokes Fun at MTV • Ad Week: Fuse as Music Maverick • Ad Age: Only One Bathroom • Ad Age: 10 Top Non-Traditional Campaigns • Ad Age: Maverick Marketers • Jack Myers Report • TV Guide • Fortune • Hung Press • Ad Land • Business 2.0: Hot Teen Action • Business 2.0: They Want Their Fuse TV • Ad Age: How to Watch the Lube Tube • TV Week • Adbusters • Shoot • Media
Results
The Fuse Beach House campaign received One Show Silver as well as Clio Silver and Creativity Best Spots. Fuse Uncensored received Best Use of Media award from Campaign Magazine and Boards Magazine. Even more amazing, Sally Struthers thanked us for making her “cool again.”
