Beyoncé & Jay-Z released an album yesterday — to much fan fair, with absolutely no notice (like... on a Saturday afternoon @ 5:43pm.) Shattering the Marketing 101 Strategy! And I LIIIIIIVVVVE!! ...for the marketing strategy of ‘Yoncé — I’m not a Beyoncé-stan. Heck, whether you're a Beyoncé fan or not (I actually have a guest membership to the BeeHIVE) you can't deny the way her team has perfected their marketing strategy. Beyoncé utilizes a technique called 'surprise marketing'. And it’s breaking protocol of the typical marketing strategy that we’ve all grown accustomed — essentially making it obsolete and irrelevant. (OLD: album promotion 3-4 months from the album release date, NEW music on Tuesday’s or Thursday’s, NEW album every 4 years — those days are LONG GONE)
Yoncé’s team is exerting marketing for the year 3000. Allow me to call out a few of their 22nd-century strategies (get the 3000 reference?)
Gleaned Beyoncé & Jay-Z Marketing Strategy Tactics:
the surprise element and visual storytelling works in her favor; Beyoncé & Jay-Z show you who they are and what they have to offer. And it's done by allowing some vulnerability to trickle through. They’re willing to reveal some backstory — the marital hardships, the challenges, the setbacks, (think Lemonade & 4:44)
• ‘telling a compelling story’ (Lemonade & 4:44) albums - they are master storytellers, a content marketers crown jewel. Her penchant to expose just enough vulnerability surrounding her marital issues with Jay-Z — made fans and non—stans, feel like she was relatable (I've always felt like she was a manikin, but for STANS, 'Beyonce goes through man problems just like us')
• ‘taking calculated’ risks and doesn't follow the rules - she releases an album with no pre-promo, while on a world tour, performing her already established catalog (a.k.a no new music). No previous or current artists have the range to even fathom something like this -- Beyonce set the bar really high. That’s ballsy, she did the same tactic with the self-titled Beyonce album and Lemonade. #BAWSE
• she is aware of what her brand is — which is why she walks around with a “visual director” who captures practically “every waking moment of hers,” she shares just enough to come across relatable, while keeping her true fans anticipating more, because of her elusive access.
• strategically builds anticipation around her brand she is elusively private, but to her fans relateable; in how she shares intimate family moments. Beyoncé shares just enough to keep her fans wanting more. She’s not your typical celebrity that will share every moment of their life (Kim K) on social media. She hasn’t done an interview since forever or spoken publicly since her album release party. And it hasn’t stifled her artistry amongst her fans.