Beyonce and Jay Z: The right way to capitalize off of bad press!

By now, everyone should know or have at least heard about the video that was leaked regarding Beyonce and Jay Z and Beyonce's sister, Solange. If not, where have you been? For those of you that have not heard about it, let me catch you up to speed! On May 12, 2014, TMZ released the following video which shows an upset Solange fighting and kicking Jay Z, while Beyonce stands to the side and keeps her composure as Bey does best! So here's the video:

Now that you're up to speed, what happened next? Well, neither party decided to post anything regarding the fight. However, Solange was said to have deleted picture of her and her beloved sister from her Instagram page (this was not true). Beyonce and Jay remained professional and continued their lives as if nothing happened. They were spotted at a game together after the video was leaked. Everything seemed fine in the Carter household.

So, how did Beyonce and Jay Z capitalize off of the bad press? They faced it head on and with grace and poise if I might add! They released a statement that basically said what we all say when we go through something within our family. LA Times quotes them as saying: "At the end of the day families have problems and we're no different. We love each other and above all we are family. We've put this behind us and hope everyone else will do the same." Sonic Light Bulb mentions the old proverb of "all press is good press" when describing how celebrities capitalize off of good and bad press. Of course the video of Solange attacking Jay Z was bad press (although the media and fans ate it up) it was still a chance for the couple to show that they are just as normal as everyone else. Although they may have more money, their family has trials and tribulations just like yours and mine. Guy Bergstom writer of 4 Ways to Respond to Bad Press mentions the importance of not covering up a story when it is bad but true. During these types of situations, one should talk about it and be honest with the information. Just speak on it and acknowledge it. This is exactly what Beyonce and Jay Z did. 

Not too long after the release of the fight video, Beyonce posts the promo video for their upcoming On the Run Tour. Talk about great marketing and perfect timing. What a better way to capitalize off of everyone searching for new news about Beyonce and Jay Z than to post a promo video of their upcoming tour! The trailer is set up like a real movie trailer which draws the fans in even more. I'm not a huge Bey or Jay fan but I must say, this trailer was right on time and was produced well! Check it out for yourself:

Beyonce and Jay Z have a powerhouse for a marketing and public relations team. They always keep their cool and capitalize off of every opportunity that they can. This is great for up and coming artists to look at and follow. You never know what may happen during your journey to stardom. It won't always be good and I can guarantee that you will have some WTH moments. What matters most, is how you handle it.

Digital Marketing: What you need to know!

As an up and coming artist, getting your music out to the masses is your number one goal. Besides, how can anyone know who you are if they have never heard your music.  Digital marketing is becoming the new way to market compared to the old way of using a street team and hand delivering music by selling CD’s out of the back of your trunk. So in a world where everything is going digital, what do you do to grab the attention of your potential fans?

Erik Koral author of How to manage an effective street team in the new digital decade speaks about the importance of still having a street team. He calls it an online street team. Not only are Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook, important they are also supportive in the “going green” movement.  What better way to get your music out to your potential fans than to broadcast it over these sites? Take Beyoncé for example; she used one video on Instagram to promote her self-titled album. Her fans did the rest of the work and all of her digital marketing for her!

Beyoncé’s fans are her street team. She uses the “Bey Hive” to help push her music. Beyoncé also uses the points that Erik lists in his article. She utilizes social media to help her make huge announcements. She sends out missions to her hive and rewards them with early release tickets, special invites, free downloads, and so much more. She allows them to participate in contests that not only benefit them but also the community. In the end, everyone wins and her music is promoted for free!

You can see Bey’s promo here: http://instagram.com/p/h2YFO6Pw1d/ as well as see why she chose to do a visual album here:

So how can one get people to still want to purchase an actual album in a world where everything is going digital? In 7 ways to bring back the physical albumexperience in digital music written by Chris Bracco, he discusses how album artwork, metadata, low costs, and building an experience are ways that help people want to still have that physical experience.  

Album Artwork/Visuals

If we refer back to Beyoncé’s digital release of her album, she used visuals for each song. This gave the fans something to look at while listening to her new music. You work hard on your music, so give the fans something to look at while they listen to it. Design a cover for each song or a slideshow that changes throughout the song. It will keep your fans engaged!

Meta Data

Meta data is also a way to bring the physical to the digital world. I will discuss the use and importance of Meta data in a future post. Meta data is important to your music because it tells the listener the name of the song, who it’s by, and can even give the fans your lyrics right on their iPod. So many artists forget to add this and when someone purchases the music through iTunes, there is no information of who the artist is or what the song is titled. How frustrating can that be?

Low Costs

Having a decent priced album or single can make or break an artist. No one wants to pay $20 for an album that has only 2 really good songs. Price your music based on what’s affordable to your fans and what you are delivering. If your music only has five tracks, you cannot expect your fans to pay $15 for it. Price your music accordingly.

Digital marketing is the quickest way to get your music in the right hands. It still takes hard work and dedication to perfect your masterpiece and to get it out to the masses. If you have the drive and the right team, you can use digital marketing to your advantage and make it just as good, if not better, than the age-old physical marketing.