idea blog

Marketing commentary for better. Or worse.


So, Beyonce’s new (self-titled) album dropped late last week. And the internet exploded.

“Bored of the usual process,” the queen of pop/the world decided to skip the usual marathon PR routine and release her newest 15-track offering directly to iTunes. No advance singles. No interviews. No teasers. No fuss.

Of course, this minimal approach is itself awesome marketing: Beyonce is “getting music straight to her audience.” She’s “avoiding the trap of pre-release fatigue.” It’s a “visual album” — each song has a corresponding music video. And you get it all in a package offered “exclusively on iTunes.”

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The Guardian’s Rachel Nicholson nails it here: “The paradox is that by releasing the album with ostensibly no fuss, Beyonce the singer has caused the biggest fuss of all.”

Doesn’t hurt that the album’s awesome.

Read more here.

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