Fuse Furthers its Edgy, Anti-Hero Advertising Tactics With New Campaign: "Haymish Fuse for President"

All-Music Network Puts Forth Satirical Candidate For Independent-Minded Music Fans

New Orleans, LA, May 3, 2004 – Fuse, the nation's only viewer-driven, all-music network, once again defies marketing tradition in its latest advertising and brand imaging campaign. This year, Fuse seeks to connect with disenfranchised youth by putting the network's irreverent "prankster chic" attitude to work on one of the hottest issues in the country – political campaigns.

The announcement of the new print and on-air campaign, which kicks-off May 3, 2004, was made here today at the National Cable Television Association's annual convention by Marc Juris, President of Fuse.

As with the network's previous award-winning branding campaigns featuring anti-heroes like Sally Struthers and Tammy Faye, Fuse's new off-beat spokesperson/star is the "faux" political candidate Haymish Fuse. Continuing the network's edgy and irreverent sensibility, the Haymish Fuse character campaigns on a platform of the absurd, urging youth to take a stand against the cultural politics that have left a nation of music television enthusiasts bereft of videos.

"Fuse's image and attitude is built on a prankster chic sensibility applied to hot buttons in pop culture and society, and nothing is more topical than the national fervor over politics," said Fuse President Marc Juris. "Haymish Fuse is running on some incredibly convincing platforms, and he will deliver on the campaign promise to be a music video network you can trust to actually play music videos."

Mary Corigliano, Fuse's Vice President of Marketing, is equally excited about the campaign. "We hope it raises awareness and reinforces our irreverent identity – with the press, media buyers and especially our target audience of trend-setting youth."

According to Fuse lore, candidate Haymish is purportedly the network's "director of music video administration" who is inspired to run because of the lack of candidates that appeal to the interests of the young people he serves. Haymish will voice his bizarre, mainly music-centric political platform in slogans, such as his opposition to lip-synching, boy bands and one-hit wonders.

The hard-charging underdog of the world of music television will unleash its quirky branding effort in a torrent of attention-getting print media on phone kiosks, bus shelters, subway cars and station domination in key metro markets like New York, as well as in cable and advertising trades and consumer publications. These efforts will be supplemented with imaging spots on Fuse and both the print and broadcast campaigns will be promoted offline through guerilla street teams canvasing busy metro areas across the country and aggressive Internet viral campaigns, as well as at high-profile online venues, including www.fuse.tv.

The campaign was created by Fuse's advertising agency, Amalgamated of New York City, in conjunction with Fuse's Vice President of Marketing Mary Corigliano and Creative Director David Carson, and builds upon the success of the network's much-talked about May 2003 debut campaign, "Saving the Music Video" starring Sally Struthers.

About Fuse
Fuse, a network of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC, is the nation's only all-music, viewer-influenced television network, featuring music videos, exclusive artist interviews, live concerts and specials — all rooted in the music experience. Fuse reflects the rapidly changing interests and attitudes of its 12-34 year-old audience by uniting the media platforms that are at the center of their communication and entertainment – TV, online, and interactive games – and by incorporating their opinions and suggestions into its on-air and online programming. More information about Fuse is available at www.fuse.tv.

Press Contacts

  • Fuse
    Theano Apostolou
    212-324-3401
    Cell at NCTA: 917-576-8395

  • Cataldi PR
    Sal Cataldi
    212-244-9797
    Cell at NCTA: 516-236-3817

  • Artwork is available for download at: http://fuse.tv/press/press.html