Where's Wino?

Well, the tabloids have been hardly able to contain themselves, have they. In the words of one broadsheet columnist, “Winehouse at last gave the media a collective orgasm of prurient crocodile tears by dying“. The title of this post is that of a regular feature of a London rag, delighting in the daily train wrecks of the recently departed music star.

Since the global explosion that followed her second album, there’s been times when her (preferably dishevelled) image has been ubiquitous across the media. In and out of rehab, imprisoned spouse, public punches, Bond theme studio disaster, Caribbean breaks, drunken performances, arrest overseas, god-daughter duets. The list is indeed long.

Such salivation over the public breakdowns of celebrities is nothing new of course. Who can forget the journey into adulthood of Britney. A-Lister break-up, Vegas midnight marriage, hair shaved off, custody battle, big weight gain, ex-pap Brummie boyfriend.

Think of how different this is to the standard PR output surrounding an artist. It’s usually restricted to a blitz when  ‘my new album’s out’. This is remarkably similar to most b2b product launches.

The prospect gets bombarded with info on day one. If they’re ever approached again, then after this all that’s left is banal repetition of the message.

Consider how different the narrative can often be with the major acts. They somehow always seem to offer up a new angle. They avoid the initial spike and crash under-performing sales figures commonplace elsewhere.

To reach your targets you should think about how you split what’s pitched up front from what you deliver as an ongoing dialogue. Only when you have a plan for how you’ll re-visit and deliver additional material will you maximise new product sales.