Everyone thought Little Mix were the trailblazers of ex-hating with their ‘Shout Out to My Ex’ hit song, but Lana Del Rey has taken it a step further with her latest album marketing.
The singer-songwriter decided to pick quality over quantity with her latest billboard promotion.
Lana has installed a single billboard to push her forthcoming album, “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd”.
You’re probably thinking Times Square, Madison Square Gardens, Hollywood Boulevard – that would be the prime place to hit maximum people with a killer backdrop, but no. As the singer wrote on her allegedly private Instagram account, “There’s only one and it’s in Tulsa”.
Like me you’re probably asking yourself, where on earth is Tulsa, and why has she put it there?
Well, with the cryptic posted message of “It’s. Personal”, fans have realized this is actually her ex-boyfriend’s hometown of Tulsa, Okla.
That’s right, she’s going direct to her ex, Sean Larkin, from the A&E’s reality show “Live PD” and co-hosts the podcast “Coptales and Cocktails.”
Not only is this a personal win for her, getting to plaster her face and success all over her ex’s hometown, but it’s actually a very , smart marketing campaign.
Lana’s audience is predominantly young women, who love her songs for their honestly and tales of love and loss. People relate to her music and feel invested in the pain she has shared through her hits, some of which was most likely caused by her ex.
By having this emotional buy-in from her audience, this billboard feels not only a win for Lana, but a win for all of the girls who have ever been hurt and wanted to hit back.
The leaking of her Instagram account, and not the direct posting to her public-facing profiles allows Lana to keep her hands clean, rise above it all, and let the fans revel in the passive aggression.
It’s trending on Twitter, being picked up by pretty much all news outlets, with her album getting a mention in every single piece. She’s built rapport and respect with her fans, whilst pushing promotion at the same time.
Even when you have millions of pounds to play with, sometimes simple and targeted is all you need.
