Eternal Sunshine: Ariana Grande’s Music Marketing Strategy
Since Ariana Grande’s short hiatus from making music, fans all over were eager for new songs from the popular singer. Grande’s announcement of her new album Eternal Sunshine right after the release of her single Yes, And? sparked many exciting conversations from fans and people alike. With fans posting their excitement on social media from the long-waited new music to non-fans starting to focus more on the singer because of simply hearing her new song on the radio, Ariana Grande has once again constructed lots of buzz before and during her new release. Grande has used various marketing techniques to promote her music, which has shaped pop culture as we know it today. Let’s take a closer look!
Social Media Engagement
Even during Ariana Grande’s break from music due to the filming of Wicked, she maintained a good online presence with social media. Even after she deleted her famous Twitter account which had her interact with fans the most, posting on her Instagram account was the main source for fans to get interaction with her. Here and there, she would post some singing videos on her TikTok or acknowledge the anniversaries of her previous albums. This showed her fans that she still had a strong connection to music despite taking a break – it gave fans the opportunity to hype themselves up or create theories from small moments of her next music release. While to non-Grande fans
this may seem a bit “delusional,” Grande’s presence on her social media platforms whether that was posting for her makeup brand, R.E.M beauty, her upcoming film, or her day-to-day life, made the fans still feel connected with her and her previous music, creating a excitement for whatever she released next. This excitement was almost like preparation for a new Ari era; however, she still surprised us all!
Surprise Collaborations
Many of Ariana Grande’s iconic songs include ones where she has collaborated with another famous artist – Side to Side with Nicki Minaj, Break Free with ZEDD, Motive with Doja Cat, and many others. Grande’s collaborations cause excitement with both Grande’s fan base and the other artist. This in turn, creates double the engagement and streams with the two fan bases combining to support their favorite artists. A significant example of this would be the surprise 2023 collaboration with Grande and The Weeknd or Abel Tesfaye. During Grande’s music hiatus, she posted a teaser for Die For You – The Remix. This song was from Tesfaye’s 2016 album, Starboy. The new version
of the song almost 7 years later, created a new kind of suspense. Not only was there going to be a new life to an already beloved song, but fans were going to hear Ariana Grande in a song after a long time of not hearing her voice. With more teasers from the two artists leading up to the song’s release, the song ended up receiving 8.9 million streams on its first day, breaking the record for the highest number of streams in a remix. Ariana Grande surprise collaborating with another famous artist on an already popular song created more eyes on her if there wasn’t a lot already.
Themed Rollouts
One of the many things to admire about Ariana Grande is the unique theme for each of her albums. Each theme mimics the difference in the music productions and displays her maturity throughout her discography. Each album’s specific aesthetic and storyline create a vision of the album’s music before its release. It gives fans an idea of what the album is going to sound like or the message that Grande is getting across through the music. This idea can even influence the things that they see in their daily lives, making them think even slightly about the album. To illustrate, Ariana Grande’s pink theme for her album Thank U, Next. This includes her music videos like 7 Rings – pink, purple, diamonds, glitter, and a confident energy. Her album, Positions,
which included a 60s type vibe with lots of greens and a bubbly, flirtatious energy. Lastly, her most recent release, Eternal Sunshine, which presented neutral tones, reds, sun rays, and a bittersweet yet heartfelt energy. These thematic rollouts of each album create a sense of mystery and intrigue regarding the new music which eventually creates a visual of her music once its released. This strategy makes Grande’s music and releases even more exciting, drawing her fans back for more!
It is no surprise that Ariana Grande has one of the best music marketing strategies in the industry. Eternal Sunshine debuted number one on the Billboard 200 chart within its first week, gaining 194.92 million on-demand streams and 77,000 album sales. With Grande’s talent and remarkable records, her marketing strategies will only continue to influence the world of marketing and create an even brighter career for her.
