Now Let's Get in Formation (Professionally Speaking)

It’s now June, which means it is Black Music Month. In this day and age, we can’t talk about influential musicians without mentioning Beyoncé, and she is certainly someone who influences us in many ways.

Queen Bey undoubtedly has one of the largest and most devoted fan followings. It’s hard to ignore her, even with your best attempt. 

Within the past year, she’s done the following:

• September 20, 2015: Beyoncé posted three images on her Instagram that all referenced lemons or lemonade.
• December 4: Rumors spread that Beyoncé might join Coldplay during their Super Bowl 50 halftime act along with Bruno Mars.
• January 7: Pepsi confirmed Beyoncé would join Coldplay during the halftime performance with Coldplay.
• February 6: Beyoncé released the “Formation” single and video.
• February 7: “Beyoncé performed the song, “Formation” during Super Bowl 50 and announced her Formation tour.
• February 9: Pre-sale tickets for the Formation tour were made available.
• February 16: General sales for the Formation tour became available.
• March 31:Elle magazine debuted her cover on the May 2016 issue, where she gave a rare interview and announced that she would be launching an athletic apparel line, Ivy Park.
• April 14: The Ivy Park clothing line became available for purchase to the public.
• April 16: A teaser video was released announcing the debut of Lemonade on HBO a week later. The message was cryptic and no one knew what to expect.
• April 23: HBO exclusively broadcasted Beyoncé’s hour-long visual album.
• April 27: The 34-year-old songstress kicked off the Formation world tour in Miami.
• May 22-23: A secret Beyoncé/Jay-Z album is reported as complete.

All of the above projects and campaigns received a wide range of media coverage. Beyoncé has certainly reached a level of stardom where she naturally attracts media attention no matter what she does, yet she rarely gives an interview.

So what is so special about all of the actions above that keep us talking Beyoncé? Better yet, what can we learn from it and how can we implement it in our own lives and careers despite the fact that we aren’t superstars? 

Impactful Initiatives

One thing that we can say for certain is that when Beyoncé does something, she makes sure it’s impactful. Since the beginning, almost everything she does incites conversation. One can maybe argue that doing this is what led to her level of fame, in addition to the talent she posses.

When I approach any initiative from a media relations lens, the first question I ask myself is “So what?” While our campaign or project is seemingly important to us, why should anyone else care?

 If we want people to talk about what we are doing, we have to do something that drives a conversation. People have to want to care. We have to do something that is new to be newsworthy.

Let’s take the timeline above for example. When Beyoncé, performed “Formation” during halftime at the Super Bowl, her depictions of the Black Panther Party and Malcolm X created a stir, regardless if you were for it or against it. Up until that point, Beyoncé was never quite portrayed as an activist, yet that performance alone presented her in a new light, which got people talking. Her latest album, Lemonade, is still a hot topic of conversation as many speculate on her marital woes, and I’m pretty sure it’s a topic of discussion in some university lecture halls.

Regardless if you are a small business, a large corporation or an individual, it is important to take a step back and really analyze what is it about you and/or your business that is worth talking about. Sit and think about how your story is different and interesting from everything else you hear and see being talked about.

 Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

1. What am I doing that no one else is doing? How is what I’m doing different from my competitors?
2. Why should anyone care about me, or what I’m doing?
3. How does this fit into current conversations in a relevant way?
4. Who is affected by what I’m doing and how can I reach them?
5. Is this really something newsworthy that will drive a conversation, or is a commercial and/or sales pitch?
6. How does this compete with the other news topics currently discussed?

In essence, we sort of have to play devil’s advocate with ourselves and look at the good and bad. We live in an era where we have information overload. There is so much content available, that we have to really stand out if we want our voice heard. With that said, if we are going to do something, let’s make sure it is impactful.  

Plan and Prepare

When I look at the timeline above, the first thing I noticed is the timing of each campaign. It was one thing after the other, each playing off the other, almost like a choreographed dance routine.  The execution was flawless (pun not intended), and it certainly took more than two weeks to pull off.

For example, we see hints of the Lemonade album posted in September, yet no one really noticed or paid any attention to it at the time. It wasn't until April, seven months later, that it began to make sense. 

Recently I had a conversation with a friend of mine on our amazement on how so many business owners don’t want to take the time to write out their goals, strategies and overall plan as to what they want to accomplish and how they want to accomplish it. The norm has been set in them to work a month or two in advance, and sometimes only weeks in advance.

As someone who has had to execute projects with only a few weeks lead-time, I can attest that there are certainly successful moments that happen sporadically and organically. However, relying on this method will only get you so far for so long.

When it comes to your public relations and overall marketing approach, there has to be a moment where you begin to think months and years ahead of time, while also doing a few short-term projects in-between.

If we want to have the “Beyoncé impact,” proper planning is imperative. Here’s why:

1. A written plan and strategy forces you to identify the steps you need to take to reach your goal.
2. Writing out your goal, strategies and plan makes everything clearer to you and those working on the project.
3. A written plan is a road map for you and your team, and it keeps you on track to achieve the goals you set.

For those who saw the starlet during her latest tour, you see that every element highlighted in the above timeline was incorporated into her show. Since September, we had slow, yet steady, small reveals leading up to the big performance. In order to do this effectively, there was a plan.

So, if we want to have a Beyoncé-influenced impact, we have to “get in formation” as she says. We have to formulate creative ideas and we have to formulate a plan for the proper execution of said ideas.

Formation

noun for·ma·tion \for-?mā-sh?n\

 : The act of forming or creating something

: Something that is formed or created

Definition provided by Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Also, congratulations to Beyoncé for winning the 2016 CFDA Fashion Icon Award last night.  It was definitely given to the right recipient.