Hey there and welcome back to The Habit Weekly. We're thrilled to be kicking of another year of music marketing news with you.

• The Kid Laroi's Fortnite premiere. 

• Mac Demarco's 2019 single goes to #1 on Billboard.

• TikTok confirms staff's influence on viral content.

Miley Cyrus' Controversial Marketing Strategy

Miley Cyrus 

Miley Cyrus has kicked off 2023 in a spectacular fashion, with the controversial release of 'Flowers', a new single that has utilised the internet's rumour mill. 

As the daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus and a former child star, Miley Cyrus has spent decades in the public eye. What's important to the 'Flowers' release is that her many years in the spotlight means that public knowledge around Cyrus' personal life is extensive. Thanks to that knowledge, a simple act like releasing her new song on the birthday of her ex-husband, Liam Hemsworth, has attracted plenty of publicity. This was a pretty clear hint that indicated the song was about a little more than flora.

The rumour mill has continued churning since the 'Flowers' release date, with fans claiming that the song is a response to Bruno Mars' 'When I Was Your Man', after his song was included in the pair's wedding playlist, back in 2018. Other rumours have been more shocking, like claims that the 'Flowers' music video was filmed at the same house that was the location of Hemsworth's multiple affairs. 

Fans have also noticed that some of the song's lyrics seem to allude to other events that were publicised during Cyrus and Hemsworth's relationship, like the loss of their California home during the 2018 wildfires.

A lot of these rumours haven't been substantiated, but they have drawn plenty of attention to the release these past few weeks. That’s left us to question where they originated. Insider tracked a lot of the original posts on Twitter, and major pop and fan accounts weren’t willing to disclose their sources.

The stats show that the 'Flowers' release has been monumental across multiple platforms. The track has broken Spotify's one-week streaming record, with over 96 million streams. If you head to TikTok, you'll see that various versions of the 'Flowers' audio has been used in more than 1.5 million videos. On YouTube, its music video has been watched over 109 million times. We wouldn't be surprised if a significant number of these views came from eagle-eyed super fans who are keen to spot any further Easter eggs planted by Cyrus. 

What stands out about the 'Flowers' release (besides allegations of infidelity) is the power of implication and controversy. By depending on fan's existing knowledge, Cyrus has created a whole conversation around her release, without any explicit name dropping or explanation. The public has been given the chance to read between the lines with this release, and they seem to be loving it.

Campaigns

Canada's Igloofest is inviting its attendees to participate in an NFT treasure hunt to celebrate its 15th anniversary. Hunters will race to be the first to scan QR scans scattered across five activities on the festival grounds, to claim NFTs, inspired by the event's theme.The Kid Laroi and Fortnite are joining forces to promote the artist's new music. His upcoming song 'Love Again' and three unreleased songs will be played on The Kid Laroi's Wild Dreams island and the Afterparty island. Fortnite has promised players "an immersive sonic experience portraying LAROI’s journey from humble beginnings to headlining sold-out performances as a worldwide superstar." Laneway Festival and General Pants are teaming up. General Pants has been named as the festival’s exclusive fashion retail partner. The partnership will allow General Pants customers to unlock a suite of ultimate prizes to experience the festival. Menulog and Katy Perry's campaign has entered a new phase. The partnership is giving fans the chance to win a pair of Katy Perry-inspired sneakers by the Menulog Run game on TikTok. 

Trends

Mac Demarco has scored his first Hot 100 hit, thanks to TikTok. 'Heart To Heart' was released in 2019, but has picked up traction on TikTok. The track has reached #98 on the Billboard Hot 100 and top 10 placements in Billboard’s Hot Alternative Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs charts, just days after the artist described TikTok as 'depressing' in an interview with Variety. 

Learn

TikTok employees have confirmed that staff can influence what content goes viral on the platform, through a process called 'heating'/ TikTok spokesperson Jamie Favazza says “We promote some videos to help diversify the content experience and introduce celebrities and emerging creators to the TikTok community. Only a few people, based in the U.S., have the ability to approve content for promotion in the U.S., and that content makes up approximately .002% of videos in For You feeds.” Meta are making it easier for users to manage their ads experience with Accounts Centre. It will offered iimprovemetns to some of the ad settings controls that can help people understand and manage their ads experience across Facebook, Messenger and Instagram. 

Fast Facts

👉Streaming fraud accounts for at least 1-3% of plays on services like Spotify and Deezer in France, shows investigation. 

Written by Olivia GlikuWas this email forwarded to you? Sign up here