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  • Girl Panic! or Media Manipulation?

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    December 7th, 2011Kitty Amsbry

    Reports that MTV has “banned” Duran Duran’s ‘Girl Panic!’ video have been all over the internet this week, stating that the network has refused to air the nine-minute film directed by Jonas Akerlund due to explicit sexuality and overt use of product placement.

    Sound familiar? Back in 1981, The ‘Girls On Film’ video was banned by the BBC for titillating our pre-pubescent minds with images of nude models frolicking around in mud and shaving cream. This wholly premeditated effort provided the just-naughty-enough patina to the the band’s (until then) wholesome image that was so often the death knell for burgeoning boy-bands of that era. Duran Duran knew what they were doing then, and they know what they are doing now.

    Things are just a little bit different this time around. There has been no official statement from MTV stating that the video has been banned. In fact, MTV is still featuring the video as “Buzzworthy” and continues to highlight fashions from the video in their “MTV Style” feature.  Yet nearly a month after the video’s premiere, online music news outlets such as Gigwise are reporting that the video has been pulled from the airwaves, inciting cries of outrage from fans and providing a very convenient opportunity for “a source very close to the band” to deliver their marketing message. Says this inside source, “The band had an amazing time filming the video and certainly don’t take themselves too seriously, playing cameo roles as waiters, bell hops, chauffeurs and paparazzi. The video reflects a supposed day-in-the-life-of expose, that has every ounce of trademark Duran Duran tongue in cheek humour and glamour.” Why, of course it does!

    I find it a bit hard to swallow that it somehow took MTV a month to notice that they had been promoting what is (certainly not just) an advertisement for Swarovski and champagne  sprinkled with pretty girls in expensive bondage gear playing a little tonsil-hockey. Perhaps not coincidentally, this same “MTV has banned it! Shock and outrage!” cry was rallied for Akerlund’s Lady Gaga’s ‘Telephone’ video, prompting MTV to release a statement soon after that they had in fact not banned the video at all, and that “no one even checked with us to see if that was true.”

    The video already has nearly five million views on VEVO, a company who sees no shame in product placement. Rio Caraeff, Chief Executive Officer for VEVO has proudly stated that the company “works as a conduit between the world’s largest music companies and brand marketers,” and they also don’t seem to to take any issue with the fact that sex sells.  Duran Duran don’t need people to watch their ‘Girl Panic!’ video on MTV. They just need people to keep talking about it, a month after it’s release and as the band kicks off another world tour. And thanks to a bit of spin-doctoring, that’s exactly what they’re getting.

    Girl Panic! is a gorgeous video that we will all be talking about for a long time, I’m sure. You can watch it here. And if MTV actually even plays music videos anymore, I’ll bet you can still watch it there too.

 

4 responses to “Girl Panic! or Media Manipulation?” RSS icon

  • I completely agree, this is such a non-story, I don’t get the all the OMG OUTRAGE! over it. It already had almost 5 million hits on YouTube even before this alleged “ban,” what’s the problem? Who watches MTV for the videos anymore anyway? And for every article that talks about this ban, there’s have a link to YouTube. No one is being prevented from seeing this video, and it just prolongs the exposure. Win-win for everyone.

    Reply

  • Agree with you Kitty AND Kathy. I said this from minute one. This is a concocted, fake story designed to get attention.

    MTV didn’t ban anything; they were never going to play it in high rotation anyway. This is a marketing PR plan, a plot, and it’s working. “Falling Down” supposedly had a”naughty” version that ALSO got banned. Riiiight. That was the ONLY headline that lackluster single ever got.

    This is “Wag The Dog”-a trumped up War. An INSIDE JOB. DD are good at this.

    Let’s also not forget that in 1997-”Electric Barbarella” got “banned” from a handful of video channels as well. As if it was gonna be played right alongside the latest BACKSTREET BOYS million seller. haa. If you believe that, I got a green pet Alien to sell ya.

    And that “source” that wrote the responses from DD’s “camp”? $100 says it was one of the guys in the band, probably Nick. It reads too closely to how the “news report” at the ending of “THE MAN WHO STOLE A LEOPARD” reads.

    If this works and garners some attention and leads to some more sales of AYNIN, fine. Cool. Desperate times require desperate measures. You have to create your own hype.

    DD are not exactly young and hot in today’s music scene. The most common reaction to the news that DD have new music out is “Are they still around? Didn’t one of them drown on some boat? I thought they broke up in 1985″. They NEED ANYTHING to alert ANYONE NOT IN THEIR ADORING “do no wrong” FANBASE that they still inhabit this Planet Earth. We fans know this, accept this, and live with it-AND even though it is frustrating to see them stoop to this stunt- we know it to be TRUE.

    So please Duran Duran-do not insult my intelligence by playing along naively that this is actually an authentic controversy happening and it’s catching you offguard. I’m allergic to bullshit. Even if that bullshit is necessary and gets you what you want. Just tell the truth-we get it.

    You can pull the wool over the tasteless world’s eyes to sell records and advertise your existence; just don’t do it to your loyal FANS. We WANT IN ON THE JOKE. We don’t want to be part of the punchline. Don’t try and fool your bread and butter. Let’s all fool the fools together.

    Thanks for writing this Kitty. Enjoyed it as I do all your blogs.

    Reply

  • Wait until MTV says they didn’t ban it, like they did with Gaga’s video. It doesn’t seem like the band themselves are making a big deal out of it, John made a quick twitter comment. So who knows what happened.

    Besides which the whole point of “being in on it” is that you know it simply because you are a fan who pays attention, not because they outright tell you, which would sort of defeat the purpose–if they tell us then everyone else knows too. No one is “lying” to you, it’s supposed to be an unspoken understanding, IF it is what you are thinking it is.

    Reply

  • Thanks for your comments — all insightful and appreciated.

    In summary, I feel three things:

    1. Slightly insulted as a fan that this lame (yet effective!) buzz tactic was utilized — enough to write this quick post but not enough to lose sleep over it.

    2. Rather embarrassed for the band, who are far too mature to be playing the “Oooh, look at us! We’re so dirrrrrty!” card.

    3. As usual, dismayed by the willingness of the music press to run such obvious marketing drivel as “news”.

    And that’s about it.

    Reply


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