Hot Topic: Pushing Brandy’s ‘Two Eleven’

Published: Wednesday 31st Oct 2012 by David

Here’s what it is:

Brandy, by way of fan support, renewed public interest and the strength of her material, stands tall as one of 2012’s most celebrated acts.

Welcoming the release of her R&B driven studio album ‘Two Eleven’ two weeks ago, both she and her team went to great lengths before its launch to ensure the project debuted favorably in the US.

Now in its second week of release, ‘Eleven‘ holds a top ten position at #10, with 20,879 sold since last week , pushing its total US figure to 87,735 units sold. This now means it’s only 12,265 copies away from hitting the 100,000 mark- a commendable feat to be scored three weeks in.

Of course, while that may seem a little abysmal to some, we’d say it sets the tone for what is set to become a slow but consistent sales push for the project, which some are now making the mistake of writing off.

So, in a climate seemingly hostile to Contemporary R&B, just how could Team Brandy push ‘Two Eleven‘?

Our answer to that question below…

With the video for ‘Wildest Dreams‘ still waiting to be launched, Brandy could consider releasing it on the week beginning Monday 12th November.

For, Monday 12th November will come one week before Thanksgiving ( the 22nd) and one day before the ever lucrative ‘Black Friday‘ sales (the 23rd).

Dedicating the week before to releasing its video and launching a radio/live TV tour in support of the album and the song itself should give Jane Public the incentive to pick up the project-especially, if a discounted price is implemented in the days that follow.

For, effective November 21st 2011, LPs priced below $3.49 are not eligible to chart on the Billboard 200- thus, giving RCA the chance to cut ‘Eleven‘s price by around $7 that week.

Though pricing the album that low may offend fans who bought it at full price, everyone’s a winner if another 50k is moved as a result of the ‘Dreams’ ‘Black Friday‘ promo tour. 50 or so K, that could potentially fund a live show, new videos or whatever else is needed to keep the campaign afloat.

Though we’d love to see ‘Wish Your Love Away‘ used to shift units during Christmas, the chances of a video being ready for December are slim, so here’s what we hope to see from ‘Brand Nu’ in the coming year…

‘Dominatin’ Every Avenue‘:

As Jennifer Lopez can attest to, partnering with cause appropriate brands can work wonders for an LP, at least on a PR tip. So, with her team already positioning her as a Premium African American act, why not team up with a brand selling Premium African American products?

As the leading automobile maker for minority buyers, Toyota reportedly pulled in a cool $2.2 billion from African American consumers in 2010, and with the ‘Camry‘s target audience in line with her own, we can’t see why they wouldn’t make for a profitable pair.

Bring on the product placement!

‘Single ‘Em Out‘:

Nothing kills a project’s soul better than poor singles choices. Summer jams released in December? No bueno.

In 2013, we hope to see Brandy push for supremacy on the R&B tally with the likes of ‘Let Me Go’ and ‘So Sick’, both of which could potentially outperform ‘Put It Down‘ if handled correctly.

Timing is literally everything and could mean the difference between smashing the Top Ten or Bubbling ferociously Under the Hot 100.

‘Keep Hope Alive’:

Not everyone is going to move Adele numbers and when you don’t- it’s important to keep your buzz alive in public… even if things aren’t going to plan in private.

When you’re happy, your fans are happy and more likely to back whatever it is that you put out, especially if you seem eager to succeed against all odds (see Chris Brown circa ‘Graffiti‘.)

Basically, we really want to see Brandy receive the recognition a performer of her caliber deserves, and hope plans are being put in place to take ‘Eleven’ to the next level next year.

So, now you’ve heard our ideas, let us know…