GET TRENDING #CHANGE
Picture this, a politician running a campaign with virtually no promotion. Building a strong brand is the most important part of running any campaign. To build a brand one must be an excellent storyteller. Then promote your story and sell your brand. Get people talking about you. Get people to know your name.
The same goes for any artists who hopes to sell records and sell out arenas. Artists do this through building brands and telling their stories. This tied with great talent you can find an array of fans with all different backgrounds listening to their music. To sell albums they need to build hype around the album so when it is released they get as many people talking about it. Through great marketing you can find the anticipation of their release trending on all media and social media platforms. Once the album drops everyone goes to buy or stream it. Aside from selling, it’s important to get trending and that usually happens fastest online. Twitter, Facebook, iTunes. To sell out arenas people need to say hype, keep talking. Trending on social media is the way to do so. The success of their album, and subsequently their tour relies heavily on public discourse through social media sparked through, marketing.
So I’ll ask again only this time picture this an artist releasing an album without any promotional marketing.
Well it happened.
December 12, 2013. Beyonce. Self-titled album. 828,773 copies sold worldwide in three days. No marketing.
It was a shocking day for the Beyhive, the so-called fans of Queen Bee. After starting the album a year and a half prior, in total secrecy, Beyonce released her fifth studio album as a surprise accompanied with 7 non-linear short films to make a visual album.
Beyonce’s brand was so strong and her fan base was so loyal that damn near one million people bought the album without knowing anything about it. Truth be told Beyonce is an amazing singer and performer but so are a lot of great artists. A stunning voice is not the reason Beyonce is the Queen Bee. Beyonce for two decades has built an incredible brand. Artists like Eminem or Taylor Swift Kendrick Lamar, have built strong brands by telling stories, about themselves or the world then using social media to start discourse about it.
If politicians hope to compete with celebrities like Kanye or Queen Bee, they have to be more like, dare I say it, Trump. Ugh, do I hate myself more for admitting it or the world for it being true. Because it is very true. Trump is more than the horse sh*t that comes out of his mouth. Before his campaign he’s always been known as the Boss. Partly because of his business background and partly because of “The Apprentice” his reality show. Just like Beyonce is Queen Bee, fierceness and elegance and sex, Trump is the Boss, determined, straight forward, no holds barred, confident no matter how wrong he is. It is obvious that experience only played a small role in his election.
A Conservative fan can find meaning in the song of an artist but so can a Liberal fan. However, what happens when an artist deliberately ties a political meaning to their song suddenly his/her entire fan base, made up of all political backgrounds, are engaged in discourse. People suddenly don’t know how to feel about their beloved artist and turn to each other. Some argue for, some argue against. Either way people are talking and they are talking LOUD. YouTube, Twitter, Facebook. News and other media who pick up the controversy have discussions boards and comment sections where heated debates often take place. This is most evident in 2016 release of Beyonce’s Formation and her following Superbowl performance.
As part of Lemonade her sixth studio album and second visual album Formation was a politically charged song focusing on the Black Lives Matter movement and protests against police brutality. It sparked public outrage for some and politic discourse for the entire United States. Beyonce told a story. And she isn’t the first artist to do so. Rappers like Kendrick Lamar and directors like Spike Lee also release politically charged art regularly.
Beyonce’s song and more importantly her brand spread like wild fire. She was trending within a matter of minutes.
Every time Trump opened his mouth he did two things . One: reinforced his brand. Two: Shot to the number one trending topic on Facebook, Twitter and the like. So Kamilla Harris, she has the know how and she has her story but so does every other politician. Celebrities are trained to always stand out and every move is calculated for one thing. Get trending. For Kamilla Harris and other career politicians need to get creative. What else can they bring to the table, to get trending, to spark discourse, to sell albums and sell out arenas ?
