Music channel MTV has announced that cult brands will take pride of place at the "5th MTV & Brand Equity Youth Marketing Forum".

The event, slated for 8 May at the Taj President in south Mumbai, is a joint venture between the channel and Brand Equity, an advertising and marketing offering from the Times of India group.

The event aims at educating marketers as to how they can best connect with youth, an official release says. Speakers will dwell on how and why certain brands, be they films or automobiles, became cults by going beyond merely being a product or service.

Baz Luhrmann, the wizard behind Oscar winner Moulin Rouge, will talk on "Movies as Cults". Lee Lynch, V-P Carmichael Lynch, talks about "The Harley Davidson Story".

Chief Strategic Officer DDB Needham Worldwide James Best will talk on the Volkswagen Beetle. The forum will also feature Michael Wood, V-P Teenage Research Unlimited, presenting American research concerning teenagers and cult brands.