Rollout Roundup: The Best Marketing Rollouts of the Week
Let's get into it.
Nicki Minaj - Do We Have A Problem? ft. Lil Baby
Nicki’s return marks one of the very few times we have seen a woman on the cover of Spotify’s iconic Rap Caviar playlist.
Strengths: Miss Minaj knows how to host a rollout. Between her IG lives and her numerous interviews where she refuses to hold back and water down her opinions and life stories, she has had us more captivated for the release of a single than most other artists this year have for major projects. I loved how she made up with the City Girls, and how she continues to support and engage with her fans on Twitter. Nicki is one of the few celebrities who has reached icon status that still understands the importance of interacting directly with fans. She is her own marketing expert. On top of it all, her and Lil Baby released a well done photo together, which is usually the number 1 think I think is lacking from rollouts with 2 major artists.
The Tommy Egan character showing up in the music video and on Nicki’s instagram was a perfect pop culture integration moment, especially when his very own POWER spinoff is airing this week.
Weaknesses: Honestly, not much to say here. I think Lil Baby could have done a better job promoting the song, seems like Nicki carried, but that’s somewhat fair for a feature.
Saba - Few Good Things (album)
Strengths: I haven’t paid much attention to Saba before, but he surely captured my attention with this rollout. From his soul-bearing notes app explanation of his album where he spoke directly and openly to his fans, to the intent behind every step of this rollout, he and his team did a great job.
Weaknesses: I don’t see him making too many waves on social media outside of his already tapped in audience. I would love to see Saba or his team take advantage of the wide reach that digital marketing provides and lean into getting his music and content to a wider audience through both his own socials and intentional viral pages that would likely support his content.
2 Chainz - DDSIS (album)
Strengths: Some other things about 2 Chainz have been circulating in the rap community lately: his old photos and freestyles, showing me that someone on his team has been doing top-of-mind marketing.
Weaknesses: There hasn’t been much, if any, marketing around what this new album marks for 2 Chainz. Is this a new era, a mixtape-style release, a resurgence? The branding isn’t nearly where it was at for his most monumental rollouts, Pretty Girls Like Trap Music. It felt like this rollout relied heavily on his notoriety to carry his name out to the masses, but in this digital age, and this quarter where notable releases are at an all-time high, that does not go far enough for any artist.