A fantastic movie can be ruined by a bad tagline, but a clever slogan can rescue a company, even if it’s unoriginal. Surprisingly, the famous 1980s slogan “I want my MTV!” wasn’t the first of its kind. Decades earlier, in the 1950s and 60s, an oatmeal brand used a similar campaign, featuring popular athletes like Mickey Mantle and Wilt Chamberlain pleading, “I want my Maypo!”
Fred Seibert, MTV’s original creative director, explains that advertising legend George Lois was behind the famous “I Want My MTV!” campaign. When Lois and his creative partner, Dale Pon, were brought on to boost MTV’s visibility – a risky move at the time – Lois suggested reusing a slogan from a previous oatmeal advertisement. As Tom Freston, a later executive at MTV, recalls in his memoir, Lois openly admitted to adapting his old Maypo campaign for MTV.
MTV was having trouble getting cable companies to carry its channel in the early 1980s. Just when things were looking bleak, the network launched a hugely successful advertising campaign. Featuring popular rock stars like Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Pat Benatar, and Billy Idol repeating the phrase “I want my MTV!”, the ads convinced cable companies to finally add the channel to their lineups.
MTV quickly became a favorite for people of all ages, especially baby boomers and Gen X. For many, it was their first experience with the channel, and they were thrilled to watch the latest music videos and what would become iconic MTV programs.
The ads were so successful that everyone wanted their MTV
When George Lois proposed bringing back the old Maypo ads for MTV, his initial idea was to recreate the original commercials from the 1950s and 60s. These storyboards featured rock icons like Mick Jagger and David Bowie begging for MTV, mirroring how athletes had pleaded for Maypo. However, the idea of seeing rock stars act like children didn’t resonate with anyone. Ultimately, they went with Pon’s approach: having the stars confidently demand MTV while urging viewers to call their cable providers and request the channel. This turned out to be the winning strategy.
Within three weeks of launching the ad campaign, cable companies nationwide began subscribing to MTV. As Tom Freston wrote in his memoir (according to Vanity Fair), they added over a million new subscribers each month for the following two years. Eventually, they expanded into New York and Los Angeles, key media hubs with influential critics, opinion leaders, and magazine editors.
MTV has changed a lot since then, switching from playing music videos to mostly showing reality TV. However, the network’s success likely wouldn’t have happened without its famous advertising campaign. It was incredibly effective – so much so that many people now associate the phrase ‘I want my MTV!’ with the channel itself, not oatmeal!
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2025-11-04 20:30