Fierce competition

Can you guess who it is yet?

Music World Music/Columbia Records is releasing ‘I Am… Sasha Fierce’ – the new double album from Beyonce – depicting both the singer and her alter ego. “Sasha Fierce is the fun, more sensual, more aggressive, more outspoken side and more glamorous side that comes out when I’m working and when I’m on the stage,” said Beyonce. In anticipation of the albums release visitors to a MySpace site for Sasha Fierce were invited to guess who the mysterious Sasha Fierce was by sending a text or calling a dedicated number. One lucky winner stood to receive a personal message from the artist and a gift bag valued at $500.

So what?: I challenge you to say Sasha Fierce more than three times in a row. Tongue twisters aside here we have Beyonce bringing back the virtually defunct concept of the double album, a somewhat strange move given the à la carte purchasing habits of most digital consumers. The question is how to distinguish the two sides when two physical sides simply don’t exist online. Easy, you take a leaf out of Prince’s book and invent a whole new persona. As well as doubling your audience with different styles of music you potentially double your brand traction – as your other moniker may suit deals your traditional self didn’t.

“If Beyonce wants to launch a new brand identity, she needs a powerful integrated marketing campaign. This micro MySpace PR stunt diminished both brands to the point where fans responded ‘keep the gift bag, Beyonce!’ Not hot.”
Chandra Lynn, Owner, Glow Marketing

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