Thanks, Miley: Record MTV ad sales

First — and most important — yes, Miley Cyrus will be in the audience.

That, alone, should send eyeball-seeking advertisers aflutter over Sunday night's MTV Video Music Awards.

Cyrus is not scheduled to perform or even present. But who knows, maybe she can twerk from her seat. Her antics at last year's show — with a sexually suggestive performance that became a social media rage — helped this year to attract what MTV executives say is unparalleled advertiser interest.

"This is the most demand the Video Music Awards have ever had from advertisers — and the highest revenue," says Martha Riley, senior vice president of brand sales at MTV.

She declined to reveal total revenue or the unit ad prices. But the show's 30-second ad slots are believed to be in the $650,000 to $680,000 range. Not in the same league with a $4 million-plus Super Bowl spot. But not all that far from $1 million Grammy Award show slots. Based on past broadcasts, a new record would put this year's VMA show in the $75 million to $100 million total revenue range. That includes additional income this year from a wide range of social-media and in-show and out-of-show content that MTV co-created with advertisers.

It's all about catching the eyeballs — and social buzz — of hard-to-reach Millennials. The VMA live show certainly has a rich and racy history that attracts them. It's where Madonna French-kissed Britney Spears. It's where Beyoncé first showed off her baby bump. It's where Kanye West dissed Taylor Swift's big award. And, last year, it's where Miley twerked.

"Generally speaking, the show is kind of the Super Bowl for Millennials," says David Campanelli, director of national TV at media buyer Horizon Media. Last year's show attracted 10.1 million viewers, a whopping 66% increase vs. 2012.

But wait, warns Robert Thompson, who teaches pop culture at Syracuse University. "You have to keep raising the bar on what constitutes outrageousness," he says. "Twerking was outrageous when you saw Miley do it. Now, your grandmother twerked at the last wedding."

Never mind that. Some of the world's biggest advertisers — from Procter & Gamble to Unilever to Pepsi — are back on this year's broadcast. Sure, some are nervous. But for those who want to reach Gen Y, the far greater risk is missing out on "the moment."

"You can't play in the game if you don't show up," says Patty Morris, marketing brand content director at State Farm, which is back for its third year with one new ad, as well as a social media platform featuring Saturday Night Live icon Richmeister (Rob Schneider).

The show this year will feature a broader pairing of stars — such as Beyoncé — linked with major sponsors. For example, Beyoncé will receive a tribute award sponsored by MTV and related fan tribute sponsored by Verizon. Beyoncé fans will be asked, during the show, to post and submit via Twitter, Instagram, Vine and Tumblr, what Beyoncé means to them. When Beyoncé performs, MTV will show a fan tribute instantly assembled from those submissions.

Wrigley will be there, too, with ads for its 5 Gum Truth or Dare promotion. Not only does MTV collect revenue from the Wrigley ads during the show, but also MTV asked fans to dare pop star Austin Mahone to show up at the show's red carpet event in some unexpected way. Fans submitted dares using the #5TruthorDare and #DareAustin hashtags.

Are Wrigley execs worried about — or do they looking forward to — the possibility of a Miley-like moment during Sunday night's broadcast? "We definitely don't want to have anything highly offensive," says John Starkey, VP of U.S. gum and mints at Wrigley. "We just hope they have a great show — and our brand stands out."

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Taking the MTV dare

Among the 32 advertisers on Sunday night's MTV Video Music Awards show:

• Amazon
• American Legacy Foundation
• Beats
• Clean & Clear
• CoverGirl
• Fox Films
• Kia
• Pepsi
• State Farm
• Taco Bell
• Unilever
• Verizon
• Wrigley

Sources: MTV, USA TODAY research