Reporting to VH1 general manager Sally Habbershaw, Bateson, 30, will be responsible for revitalising the VH1 brand, which has lacked a clear positioning in Europe. She will also be "getting people to think again" about the channel. VH1 has a target market of 25- to 45-year-olds and features the best music from current charts as well as classic tracks and one-hit wonders from the 80s and 90s.
Bateson said her marketing strategy was likely to include media partnerships with appropriate brands, events and sponsorship. It was "probable" that she would look to appoint a dedicated creative agency for the channel but added that she had yet to start in the role and that no decisions had been taken.
The recent ad campaign, which featured the strapline 'VH1: Music That's not for Kids', was created by Malcolm Moore Deakin Hutson (now part of Faulds) on a project basis.
Bateson's appointment follows a shake-up of marketing at MTV Networks, the parent company of VH1, following the departure of David Pullan and his deputy, Simon Downing, to head marketing for Five. In July, MTV appointed James Scroggs, a former senior brand manager at ITV Digital as marketing director for MTV UK and Ireland.
Bateson joins from pay-TV channel Artsworld, where, as marketing director, she was responsible for acquiring subscribers, signing 80,000 during her 18 months there. She began her career at Bloomberg, where she became head of European marketing, responsible for advertising, media and PR across the UK, France, Spain, Germany and Italy.
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