MTV Cribs 2.0

Why Is This Content So Popular?

dj khaled crib GIF by MTV Cribs

Gif by mtvcribs on Giphy

If you have spent any time on Instagram or TikTok recently, you will have seen videos where the content creator approaches people on the street and asks how much they pay in rent. And then often follows that up by asking for a tour of their home.

Caleb Simpson is the OG and there are now countless copycats around around the world. To show the scale of this trend, Caleb alone has over 8 million followers on TikTok and his most popular video has over 50 million views.

MTV Cribs 2.0 is a social media content trend that is not going away.

Let’s dig into three reasons why…

Tried and Tested

Creators knew there was something in this format because MTV Cribs was iconic for the previous generation (think: the fridge door opening and the cheesy, ‘where the magic happens’ catchphrase when showing the master bedroom. As New York Magazine attests (paywall):

“Cribs first premiered in 2000 and set the standard for celebrity home tours… Its impact can’t be overstated…”

It just needed a Gen Z twist by mixing more real people alongside a few celebrities.

So Relatable

To quote Simpson in Rolling Stone (paywall):

“This is a throughline everyone has. We all live in a box so we can all relate to that. Everyone’s always discussing rent.”

This is a topic that unites people across demographics and other interests. Almost everyone is paying or has paid rent (or a mortgage).

Mr Nosy

It is part of human nature to be curious about other people’s lives.

Whether that is to judge incredibly gross boy rooms courtesy of another creator - Rachel Coster - or to be blown away by how much money you can make from drinking and fist pumping on Jersey Shore.

Why does this matter for marketers?

It’s a format that can be used for any brand that has a physical space and areas within it that the general public don’t normally see.

For example, the kitchens in restaurants or a different angle from behind the bar.

Or behind-the-scenes content where furniture or clothing is designed and made.

It could even be done in partnership with an existing content creator like Simpson in order to reach a new audience.