Best of 2013 Music Marketing Part 2: Miley Cyrus

You probably think I am crazy for including Miley Cyrus because "She's so bad." Hold it there tho, give me a chance to explain. Miley Cyrus, like many celebrities that grow up in the entertainment business, was getting older and so were her fans. The truth is, sweet Hannah Montana had to die for Miley Cyrus to be seen as a young adult as well as relate to her core fans. Now, how else do you think she would have done it without all this so called "rebellious" behavior. To me, this is more of a well calculated marketing strategy of changing her brand. Let's take a road trip to how this unfolded:

1. Twerking Video (March)

In March, Miley released a twerking video wearing a unicorn onesie dancing to "Wop" by J. Dash and Flo Rida. This became an instant hit as different news outlets and celebs were tweeting about it. Beyond that, her fans went crazy with the #Mctwerkteam hashtag. Plus let's not forget how, all of a sudden, young people were twerking away and sharing their own videos on Youtube. Because it was 'cool' to twerk. I almost forgot to mention that young adults also raced to get their own onesie. I am guilty of it, although I am still searching for the perfect one to purchase.

2. In August MTV Music Video Awards (August)

What do you remember about last year's VMAs? I, for a fact, can only recall the 'Miley twerking on Robin Thicke' scandal. But wait, was this really a scandal or a brilliant move towards her revamped personal brand? I can assure her team was aware that everybody would be buzzing about it. Also, her outfit became the hottest Halloween costume last year.

3. Wrenking Ball Video (September)

In September, she released the "Wrenking Ball" video and lots of people raced to the Internet to watch it. Why? She was hanging on a wrecking ball naked and crying. Personally, I wanted to see how much she had pushed the conventional button. She achieved what she wanted as the video reached 100million views in just 6 days. This video broke the Vevo record of 'most viewed video', that she previously held.

4. The Rolling Stone Cover (October Issue)

Now let's talk about that hot picture on the Rolling Stone magazine with her tongue sticking out. A symbol she has created to go with her new brand. If she wasn't on top of her game, then why would one of the BIGGEST magazines feature her?

5. Free The Nipple (December)

In December, she tweeted a picture of herself holding a fake nipple in support for "Free The Nipple" campaign. The organization aims at "decriminalize the female body" and "protest the backwards censorship laws in the US via Huffingtonpost. Celebs always associate themselves with a particular cause. For her, this NGO goes hand-in-hand with her brand. The side that is more rebellious and free from society's norm.

The buzz created around Miley's brand is different from Beyonce's. One is an iconic figure and the other is a person who is growing out of her child brand. The buzz surrounding Miley focuses on events that are more crazy and rebellious in order to make a statement. If you look through history a lot of female artists that started young went through this faze in order to adopt to their changing environment. Buzz is created differently depending on the client's goal. In this case Miley's team did a great job because everywhere you turned Miley's name was mostly at the top. Plus at this point nobody remembers poor Hannah Montana. 

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Best of 2013 Music Marketing Part 1: Mrs. Carter

We all know that the music industry is saturated and getting any meaningful attention is pretty darn hard. But Bay and her PR team are well aware of that. You don't believe me? Read below:

1. The 2013 Superbowl

We all remember that epic performance during half-time at the Superbowl with the appearance of Michelle and Kelly. However, the buzz making part was the creation of memes using unflattering picture of Mrs. Bay herself. It was a nightmare for Bay's publicist who was trying to get them off the Internet but I personally wouldn't have tried to do so. Come one, there's something to be said about flaunting your flaws, right?

2. The HBO Documentary

The Life is But a Dream documentary debuted on February 16th on HBO allowed for the world to see Blue Ivy for the first time. She could have done the documentary without Blue but then there would be nothing shocking or unique there. Blue appearance was a buzz maker since everybody had been awaiting for this moment. Plus you must admit Blue actually doesn't look as bad as people were speculating, if you know what I mean.

3. Beyoncé New Face of H&M

She became the face of H&M in April. Anytime an artist teams-up with a notable brand it's usually a win-win situation for both parties. Beyoncé showed her curves, which would get immediate media buzz.

4. The Mrs. Cater Tour

Yes, she went on tour this summer but that's not the most important part. Remember when she photobombed a fan during her concert. Between her and her publicist, I am sure they knew the trend photobombing was causing, so why not part-take in it. But wait, it had to appear natural, like an after thought. Current events and trends get talked about that's why this was a mega hit.

5. Instagram Pixie Cut

The power of Instagram, you can't deny that. But really, remember when Beyoncé posted a picture of her new hair due in August, a blond pixie cut. Yet another buzz maker that had everybody talking. She didn't have it for long either, so why? Well, I am pretty sure she wanted to divert the attention Miley was getting, with her endless twerking and tong-wagging, back to herself. Because, she's the Queen!

6. End of Year Surprise Album Release

Now the bomb dropper, the cap that sealed the 2013 in the music industry, the Self-titled album itself released December 13th. Thanks to Bay now music consumption and distribution will have a different meaning. Most importantly 80,000 copies were downloaded in the first 3hours. I am not even a fan of Bay but this one was epic and kudos to her PR team because every media outlet was talking about it. I hope the team drank champaign and got treated to a long vacation!

A lot more went into planning Beyoncé's brand image this year than I could talk about. But at least you get a sense of how PR professionals creates buzz making events for their clients.Think about it why didn't Bay keep quiet all year and only make noise with her "Self-titled" album? Unfortunately, the competition is stiff and one big event is not enough to maintain a personal brand. As an artist, you MUST create a yearly calendar of major events that will create BUZZ around your brand image. Or hire a PR team/person to do so :)

**Creative Ideas= Buzz= Awareness= Sales

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