REACHING OUT TO YOUTHS

One question that Kerry Taylor probably gets often is how do you try and please everybody. As Senior Vice President, Youth and Music for Viacom International Media Networks, the London-based Taylor is responsible for the MTV brand internationally, overseeing non-music programming and content development for all its channels outside the United States. That’s quite a huge and diverse audience to cater to – one that is, increasingly made up of millennials.

“We have specific strategies for different regions, in terms of what we programme. In Asia, for example, we know from our research that Asian millennials love music at a deeper and more passionate level than anywhere else in the world. They have this passion for genres and sub-genres – K-pop, for example – so our channels in Asia tend to be music focused, whereas in other markets, we tend to be, maybe, 80 per cent entertainment. So, it all depends on the markets and their passions. We give them what they want,” she says.

Even gender, she explains, makes an impact. “Some things work better for males as opposed to females, and vice versa. We know, for example, that some of our shows will have a 70 per cent women audience, while others will appeal more to males. It’s about finding the passion points for those two audiences and making sure you’re connecting with them in the ways that they like. There are similarities, of course, but there are also differences in the way people connect. Part of my job is juggling these and finding a balance. You want to draw in as many people as possible.”

It does seem that MTV has been enjoying a large measure of success, especially among the millennials. “I think that wherever we go around the world, there’s a real passion for the MTV brand,” Taylor says. “The new KPI is social media. Eighty-six per cent of millennials are using social media, so we look at social media platforms to see if we’re making the right kind of connections. At the moment, we have 305 million fans on social media. And that helps us know that, even if our linear viewings are declining, we know that lots more people are watching our content on other platforms. When you see that connection with social media, you know that you’re still making sense and relevant.”

Taylor was in Kuala Lumpur recently to attend the Asean CAP10 CEO Summit, organised by Bursa Malaysia and Maybank Kim Eng, where she shared her thoughts on Understanding the ‘Global’ Asean Consumer from MTV’s experience. “I talked about how the millennial generation is transforming the way we do business and, based on our experience at MTV and how we engage with them, we have adapted to meet the future,” she says.

“We’re very fortunate because we have more than 30 years behind us. When we started in 1981, we were absolutely groundbreaking – we were the first to put music videos on TV. But, you have to evolve with the times, and I think we’ve learned from our research and our experience. We have to adapt – sometimes we get it right and, occasionally, not. I think we’re in a really good place at the moment. If you look at our statistics, we are one of the most social brands in the world, which shows that we have a connection with our audience.”

One of the ways that Taylor feels MTV has successfully connected with its audience is live events. “We know from our research that millennials are not really interested in possessions, but they love live events. They want to be somewhere, having a moment and taking a photo of it. So, now, we spend a lot of time creating really big and exciting live shows on the ground. During these events, we also organise workshops where we train young people about entering the media industry. We understand that we need to educate our audience and support them, providing them experiences and content for social media. I think the lesson we’ve learned is that we have to do more.”

Doing more is always a challenge in more ways than one, especially for Taylor. “I have two boys, aged eight and 10, and it’s been really important for me to have a work-life balance and be able to spend time with them. I’ve been lucky, however, as I’ve always had bosses who’ve trusted me, and allowed me to be a mother and also do my job. I think that probably was the single best thing that I could have had to be successful in my career – bosses who understood and allowed me this flexibility.”

Taylor also believes that she was fortuitous in the indxustry and the company she works in. “Media is an industry where a lot of women have risen to the top, and Viacom is a very mature organisation that celebrates women and allows them to have a work-life balance. This week, for instance, my son turned eight when I was supposed to be here (in Kuala Lumpur) for the conference. I also had a rehearsal for my presentation but I just needed to be there for his birthday. So, it was arranged that I could leave London after that and the rehearsal was postponed to late in the evening after I arrived. So, I am very fortunate to work for an organisation where you are allowed to be your whole self, one that allows me to say, ‘I can’t be there’, but still make things work.”

She has no illusions, however, that it can be difficult being a mother and career woman. “If you look at the research, women are still taking on most of the work of raising a family – although my husband would disagree! And there’s also a lot of data that shows women are expected to do more to get to the same level as men in the workplace. I might be luckier than others but it’s still hard. When you speak to my children, they just go, ‘Why are you the mom that never picks us up from school?’ Last year, I had to watch my child’s school Nativity play on an iPad in Australia, where we were having an event. You’re trying to do both things (being a mother and career woman) and I don’t think that anybody manages to get both bits perfectly right.”

That said, Taylor has no doubts she’s on the right track. “Yesterday, I got off the plane and found out that one of our shows, Ex on the Beach, was the highest rated show among young people in England. Then I got an e-mail from Brazil, where they just launched Are You the One?, and it was number one among the 18 to 24-year-old audience. After you’ve made a show and the numbers come in, and you’re number one, that’s the most satisfying moment. And it makes everything worthwhile.”