Red Bull
The VMAs are teaming with MrBeast and Red Bull athletes for a 2-minute aerial stunt, with MrBeast facilitating things from the red carpet and promoting the event across social. Though Dario Spina, CMO, Paramount Brand Studio, played coy about the exact details, the stunt will somehow involve helicopter aerobatics as Red Bull athletes race to deliver the Moon Person trophy to the VMAs at UBS Arena.
Spina, who spoke with ADWEEK while part of the MrBeast creative was being filmed, noted the stunt is happening in “record time,” coming together just weeks before the show, which made getting air clearance “a bear.”
“[MrBeast] wanted to be keen on making a moment happen right before the show, and we very quickly—surprisingly—coalesced around a stunt and how he could really make a stunt happen with VMA IP,” Spina said, adding, “It’s been a true collaboration.”
Bacardí Rum
In its third year at the VMAs, Bacardí returns as the spirits partner, bringing together its “Music Liberates Music” initiative with MTV Push to help support rising artists. The brand will sponsor the Push Performance of the Year and a “Power Hour” during the VMA voting period. In addition, viewers can expect 90 seconds of commercial time dedicated to artists Justine Skye, Amaarae, and Kyle Dion.
“Music has always been at the heart of Bacardí’s story, and embarking on a third-year partnership with MTV and Paramount for the VMAs further strengthens that connection,” Lisa Pfenning, VP of Bacardí North America, said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the brand also aired a 30-minute MTV Live livestream during VMA week, with clips being repurposed and shared. Plus, Bacardí will have an execution with Capitol Records’ Carter Gregory and singer Shenseea through Paramount’s POVMA digital stream.
On-site, attendees can expect a Red Carpet Fan Pit activation and bespoke in-venue bars serving specialty cocktails, including the official cocktail of the VMAs, the Moonwalk Mojito. (Newcomb noted that a past cocktail, the Mojito Mo Problems, even outsold chicken fingers at UBS Arena, which he said happened for “the first time ever.”)
Burger King
Returning to the VMAs for a sixth year, Burger King is bringing its Frozen Cotton Candy Cloud drink, “a nostalgic flavor that’s all about fun and making memories,” according to Jennifer Carroll, senior director of media at BK U.S. and Canada.
