MTV (DStv 130) is running hard liquor TV commercials on MultiChoice's DStv platform. The TV ads on the youth channel clearly state that it is not for sale to persons under the age of 18.
MTV positions itself, its brand and its channel proposition as a youth brand. Broadcasting to the mass African youth with MTV and MTV Base, it's highly conceivable that a large chunk - if not possibly the largest chunk - of the viewers of the channel are actually under the age of 18.
So why accept and run an ad that's not geared towards and not aimed at people younger than 18 - and which is inappropriate for a large part of your supposed TV audience?
MTV like any TV channel mirrors its audience and shows them them - the channel is known for shows such as My Super Sweet 16, 16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom - even the upcoming The Inbetweeners about awkward teenagers in high school.
A lot of teenagers watch MTV who are not 18. Yet a product is advertised and marketed to them on the channel - for instance Skyy Vodka - which these viewers, younger than 18, can't legally buy.
It could be that the TV channel and the advertiser are actually thinking that they're reaching not necessarily the younger than 18 crowd, but the older than 18 crowd. Or that there's actually more viewers older than 18 than younger than 18 which makes it an attractive TV spot to buy.
Is MTV therefore actually skewing more towards an older audience when it comes to viewers, although it's trying hard to programme towards a younger audience?
Of course MTV has a lot of viewers older than 18 making the commercial legitimate, but it's interesting and notable that MTV would run something like a vodka TV ad and selling such a product to its African audience on its advertising space when it's maybe not so appropriate for the entire target market.
It's not illegal, of course. It just seems inappropriate - like if Nickelodeon ran condom ads or Style ran commercials for beard trimmers. Vodka ads on MTV is Awkward and not appropriate for a channel with shows such as When I Was 17.
