The channel has boosted the number of categories for the public to compete in, added a new online component where people can upload their own performances as well as vote on others.
The competition, sponsored for the second year running by Nestlé's bottled water brand Pure Life, has exchanged last year's format, a contest devoted to bands, for five new categories: best pop song rendition, best original song, best duet, most humorous lyrics and best foreign song rendition.
The competition, sponsored for the second year running by Nestlé's bottled water brand Pure Life, has exchanged last year's format, a contest devoted to bands, for five new categories: best pop song rendition, best original song, best duet, most humorous lyrics and best foreign song rendition.
Entrants can either take part in an eight-city roadshow or submit their songs online after registering at a custom-made mini-site, where they can also vote for other people's songs and view their profiles. People who don't wish to register can also vote by SMS.
The online initiative is a significant addition to last year's talent show which focused mainly on TV and onground events, underlining a general move by Star to develop the interactive platform across all its properties.
The top contestants each week will have the opportunity to record their own music video incorporating Pure Life branding which will be broadcast on Channel V, as well the chance to perform at the station's annual outdoor concert Summer Shake, also sponsored by Pure Life.
Werner Schuppisser, the head of Nestlé China's water business unit, said that the scale of integration provided by the campaign will help Pure Life stand out, with a host of brands trying out music sponsorship in China. "We are not the only ones to associate ourselves with music," he said. "Channel V is a very good platform. We had a lot of learnings from last year." Additionally, the format of this year's competition makes a good match for the brand, which is targeted at young people, Schuppisser added. "People have different means and ways to express themselves," he said. "That's in line with our slogan, 'Feel free to express yourself'." Nestlé, which has introduced new packaging to tie in with the competition, is also developing a series of promotional TV ads with Publicis to support its sponsorship. A thematic ad developed last year will also air. The competition results will be announced in September but the promotion will last for the rest of the year, while Channel V plans to continue to develop content related to the competition after the winners are named.
