The age old phrase goes as follows: All publicity is good publicity.
For Beyoncé it seems as though no publicity is good publicity.
As always, Mrs. Carter not only follows her own rules, but creates them. She shocked the world by releasing a surprise fifth album last Thursday at midnight.
Let's take a look at how Beyoncé played a risky PR game, yet managed to win. And did she ever win big. In a blink of the eye, the album has become the fastest selling release in the history of iTunes.
1. She's lived & learned
After much hype and hoopla, her last album was met with a large degree of disappointment from media, critics and fans alike. It's no wonder she took a complete opposite approach for this latest album, if at first you don't succeed try, try again, right? Right. Not only has she proved that she's learned from her mistakes, but that she's a savvy business woman as well. She may take risks, but as she just showed us all, they are indeed calculated ones. A large portion of PR is attributed to gaging and understanding your audience. Reacting fast is crucial to survival. She has clearly learned from her mistakes and proven that she knows very well what we want.
2. Element of surprise
In today's digital age its extremely difficult to keep a secret. Someone either leaked that, this website posted that spoiler, or that paparazzi saw this; not to mention throwing real time apps like Vine and Twitter into the mix. The fact that she was able to keep not only the recording stage of this project under wraps, but the video process as well, is an incredibly impressive feat. The element of surprise is something that has been lacking lately, and the fact that she was able to bring it back is retro and rewarding.
3. Quality vs. quantity
The self titled album only has 14 songs (yet 17 videos) and every single one rocks our socks off. Not often do you hear an album where each song is better than the previous one. It is clear that on this album she simply let the content speak for itself. This could've proven to be dangerous if the content wasn't up to snuff. Quality first, promotion second. It makes our jobs as PR professionals extremely difficult if there isn't quality in the products we have to promote.
Regardless about how you feel about Queen Bey, it is impossible to ignore that she knocked it out of the park on this one. This tactic is one that requires exacting execution and can only be pulled off by a superstar such as herself. Sorry to burst your bubble, but if your garage band drops a secret album it's pretty safe to say that it will remain a secret album. We can't even imagine how many moving parts were involved in this stunt, and in order for it to be effective it would have to pulled off ***flawlessly.
That being said, some takeaways for our less famous friends can include:
-Don't be shy to switch it up! Try new things. Out with the old and in with the new. Our generation has the attention span of a fly and is always looking for innovative ideas.
-Keep your secrets to yourself. There is so much temptation for competition out there. Nowadays, you are exposed to everything and anything online, thus making it incredibly easy to be influenced by others. To shut the world out and focus on your art is both a rare and necessary practise. Turn the tables on yourself and turn your attention inward instead of outward.
What do you think of Beyoncé's strategy? What other lessons would you add to our list?
Showing posts with label new. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Salut Social Media!
A few weeks ago I introduced my baby to the social media world. No, I was not with child, but I have been nurturing, creating and growing something over the past 9 months or so. This baby is Bowda PR, Communications & Consulting; a, scratch that, MY, brand spanking new PR agency. Bowda is a boutique PR agency offering a variety of services that range from social media management, media relations and content creation, and more. Bowda will be specializing in fashion PR, as well as working with startups and fellow entrepreneurs.
Why Bowda? Why now? The better question is why not now. I'm at a point in my life that I don't really have much to lose (other than time, which I don't even really consider a loss because every experience is a learning one). I'm pretty much a free agent and feel like I had to take this chance now, before the heavy responsibilities of life overwhelm and tie me down. You don't know unless you try, right?
Now, what everyone has really been asking me...what on earth does Bowda mean? The name Bowda actually arose from a separate dream of mine. First of all, if you know me at all you are well aware that I have a borderline unhealthy obsession with bows. They are just my thing. They represent everything that my style leans towards; femininity, polish and overall loveliness. I really wanted a name that represented and reflected who I am and my personal tastes. So, back to the first dream. A little fun fact about me: I am actually a certified wedding planner. I took the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada's (WPIC) wedding planning course a few years back with the intention of turning that into my entrepreneurship dream. After much though, I realized that is something I would want/need much practise and experience before being able to pursue it as an entrepreneurial endeavour and would have to immerse myself completely in that world. I still adore the idea, but was not able to give myself up to the world of weddings just yet. Although it is something I would still like to pursue, that dream is currently on hold to reach a few others first. The name I had came up with for my would be wedding planning business was indeed Bowda. The Spanish word for wedding is "boda" and I thought it to be a nice little play on words that also implemented my passion for all things bowed. When I started working on my PR agency and spent many an evening humming and hawing over a name, the boyfriend spoke up and said he liked the Bowda idea and suggested I stick with it. For whatever reason, I actually took his advice for once, and voila. Bowda PR, Communications & Consulting was thus born.
So far the support I have received is beyond incredible. It is an extremely scary thing to take a more or less blind jump into the risky and uncertain world of entrepreneurship and the warm support I have received is without a doubt the cushioned pillow at the bottom of my fall that ensured for a safe landing into the unknown.
Although it has only been mere weeks, I have already discovered and absorbed so much that if I were to close down shop tomorrow, it would have already been an extremely worthwhile experience. But don't worry, if I have anything to do with it that won't be the case anytime soon.
Stay tuned for more musings and ponderings from us as we embark on this winding ever-changing road that is the PR world as we know it of the 21st century. I'm not sure what to expect, but I sure am excited to find out and see where this road leads me. If you have any trouble finding us, just look for the girl with the bow.
www.facebook.com/bowdapr
@bowdapr
Darcy
xxx
Why Bowda? Why now? The better question is why not now. I'm at a point in my life that I don't really have much to lose (other than time, which I don't even really consider a loss because every experience is a learning one). I'm pretty much a free agent and feel like I had to take this chance now, before the heavy responsibilities of life overwhelm and tie me down. You don't know unless you try, right?
Now, what everyone has really been asking me...what on earth does Bowda mean? The name Bowda actually arose from a separate dream of mine. First of all, if you know me at all you are well aware that I have a borderline unhealthy obsession with bows. They are just my thing. They represent everything that my style leans towards; femininity, polish and overall loveliness. I really wanted a name that represented and reflected who I am and my personal tastes. So, back to the first dream. A little fun fact about me: I am actually a certified wedding planner. I took the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada's (WPIC) wedding planning course a few years back with the intention of turning that into my entrepreneurship dream. After much though, I realized that is something I would want/need much practise and experience before being able to pursue it as an entrepreneurial endeavour and would have to immerse myself completely in that world. I still adore the idea, but was not able to give myself up to the world of weddings just yet. Although it is something I would still like to pursue, that dream is currently on hold to reach a few others first. The name I had came up with for my would be wedding planning business was indeed Bowda. The Spanish word for wedding is "boda" and I thought it to be a nice little play on words that also implemented my passion for all things bowed. When I started working on my PR agency and spent many an evening humming and hawing over a name, the boyfriend spoke up and said he liked the Bowda idea and suggested I stick with it. For whatever reason, I actually took his advice for once, and voila. Bowda PR, Communications & Consulting was thus born.
So far the support I have received is beyond incredible. It is an extremely scary thing to take a more or less blind jump into the risky and uncertain world of entrepreneurship and the warm support I have received is without a doubt the cushioned pillow at the bottom of my fall that ensured for a safe landing into the unknown.
Although it has only been mere weeks, I have already discovered and absorbed so much that if I were to close down shop tomorrow, it would have already been an extremely worthwhile experience. But don't worry, if I have anything to do with it that won't be the case anytime soon.
Stay tuned for more musings and ponderings from us as we embark on this winding ever-changing road that is the PR world as we know it of the 21st century. I'm not sure what to expect, but I sure am excited to find out and see where this road leads me. If you have any trouble finding us, just look for the girl with the bow.
www.facebook.com/bowdapr
@bowdapr
Darcy
xxx
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