Virgin Mobile To Sponsor MTV’s Total Request Live

Virgin Mobile has been signed as the sponsor of MTV UK and Ireland’s flagship show Total Request Live for one year, starting from March 2005.

The partnership, developed by Viacom Brand Solutions, will enable Virgin Mobile to tap into TRL‘s association with A-list celebrities, music and entertainment, as well as engage with the show’s youth audience over an extended period of time.

The partnership sees Virgin Mobile extending its links into live music, following its high-profile sponsorship of Emap’s Kiss FM Breakfast show, secured last year (see Emap Signs Virgin For Kiss Breakfast Show Sponsorship).

TRL viewers will see Virgin Mobile start and end credits throughout the show, while online activity will comprise of a Virgin Mobile branded area on the main TRL website.

The strategic partnership will give Virgin Mobile an exciting and on-brand platform to communicate a range of their products, services, content and events. Virgin will also use its interactive mobile content service, Bites, to further enhance the offer to its customers.

Virgin customers using the Virgin Mobile Bites service will be able to receive exclusive interviews and images , as well as being given the opportunity to win tickets to the show.

Commenting on the deal, James Kydd, Virgin Mobile’s brand director, said: “We are really pleased to be the new sponsors of MTV’s TRL. We chose TRL as it shares many of the same brand values as Virgin Mobile – music, celebrity and sometimes irreverent humour! We are looking forward to getting our customers into the studio to enjoy the fun.”

The deal was brokered by Jennifer Gibbons, sponsorship manager for MTV, Alison Corfield, marketing manager at Virgin Mobile, Andrew Stephens at Good Stuff Communications and Sean Mellows, TV buying director at MGMOMD. Creative for the sponsorship is by Rainer Kelly Campbell.

Virgin Radio: 020 7434 1215 www.virginradio.co.uk MTV: 020 7478 6000 www.mtv.co.uk

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