Get Classy: Comparing the Massive Marketing of Anchorman 2 to the Non-marketing of Beyoncé’s Beyoncé Album

David Philp
William Paterson University

Abstract

In the fourth quarter of 2013 two entertainment industry blockbusters were released: the film Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues and a release by recording artist Beyoncé Knowles titled Beyoncé. While the Anchorman 2 team spent months promoting the December 18 release by traditional (and some very non-traditional) means, the Beyoncé album was cloaked in secrecy until it was issued by surprise on December 13. These two completely different strategies both proved successful, as the film sold US$122 million in tickets within its first month of release and Beyoncé sold 1.4 million albums during this time. This paper describes the marketing tactics used by both camps and the market and critical reactions to those tactics, and shows how sales success is not dependent upon one single strategy but rather upon a strategy that works best for a particular release at a particular time, both on the calendar and during an artist’s career. Implications for music labels, managers, and artists are discussed.

Keywords: Anchorman 2 marketing, marketing Beyoncé’s surprise album, marketing Ron Burgundy, marketing the Beyoncé brand, DIY artists, DIY marketing, music marketing, music industry, entertainment industry, film industry

Philp, David. “Get Classy: Comparing the Massive Marketing of Anchorman 2 to the Non-marketing of Beyoncé’s Beyoncé Album.” Journal of the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association 14, no. 1 (2014): 219-249. https://doi.org/10.25101/14.8

Click here to download pdf of the full article