Thoughts about Ayumi's Marketing Strategy

[Coelacanth]

Yet I have a feeling, if Ayu left the limelight and slowed her releases down even more, her sales still wouldn't recover. It's a lose-lose situation really. I think in a Japanese performer's case it would be better to be known and somewhat disliked than completely forgotten.

I think Ayu's success involved many different factors, the same that apply to most successful pop acts.

I think timing was key in Ayu's case. They define that particular era of Japanese pop music. She wrote her own lyrics.. very well might I add. Her melodies were top-notch. I believe that DAI is the most important composer in her career, and possibly one of the largest contributors to her success. It's pretty safe to say that without DAI she would not be at the same level she's at today. He was responsible for a large amount of the 'classics' like Boys & Girls, SEASONS, Trauma, Fly high - plus all the songs worked on with CREA - independent, Dearest, HANABI, July 1st. Lyrics by Ayu and melody by DAI is a powerhouse combination. BLUE BIRD, arguably her last 'successful' single further proves that.

Charisma and fashion sense, like others have said definitely contributed a lot. Charisma in particular, I think is something she may lack lately. She seems a little more reserved in most TV appearances, as opposed to when she had her own show. Also, I'm not sure about the whole idea of being marketed as Japan's 'diva'. While I agree, there's nobody else in Japan that can quite pull it off, it's getting to be a bit much for my personal tastes. The big 20 kg dresses, $2 million PV's, glitzy/glammy album covers... Lately, I'd rather have a single cover of her dressed like a homeless person sitting on a street corner with graffiti in the background. And I swear, I probably wouldn't complain. I just kind of need something from her to reassure me that she's a human being, if that makes any sense.

[me0wie]

Originally Posted by Coelacanth

I think in a Japanese performer's case it would be better to be known and somewhat disliked than completely forgotten.

somewhat true... i feel that, more ppl hate = more ppl like. there has to be a balance. Jolin Tsai for example, if u google her, u can see the number of people trashing her, but there are still so many who like her and support her. If you ask anyone on the street, they will all know who she is. similar to ayu, u may see many trashing her, saying she's fake and all. but what matters most is that there are still other people around who support her. i became a ayu fan quite late i would say, and i was deeply attracted to all her "rock" "dark" songs... its usually the music that attracts me. i dun really understand her lyrics until i look up on it. But songs like Duty, End of the World, teddy bear, marionette, momentum are very "strong" songs that attract my attention immediately and make me fall in love with them. in fact, i just recently got her Duty album. :x i'm the kind who would pre-order her super expensive japanese version CDs & DVDs and collect all her previous CDs. i guess sometimes tt's all that matters...

As long as she continues singing, more people will recognize her and more people will like her. ayu has said she is a product. perhaps we should reflect on ourselves because she probably mold herself to be what others like (to be viewed as a product and be popular) but people who like her will know that its her voice, her music, lyrics, her being such a perfectionist in everything she do, her perseverance that attract us.

+ all that glamorous and expensive clothes. its not for herself. its for us. they were for photoshoots and concerts and PVs. sometimes i think she goes through all that trouble to prove its really worth for us to buy her CDs and all. i think she still cares for her songs. the packaging is probably just another compulsory part that simply cannot be removed. one friend of mine who doesn't know ayu once told me she has never seen anyone who could fit into a pair of jeans & t-shirt so beautifully and perfectly before. (encore in concerts). if she's going to just be simple and plain, there will be no looking forward to new PVs, cd covers, and concerts. and we would have to think of the brands sponsoring her too. (are they any? i'm not too sure)

[*Petit*]

Originally Posted by Coelacanth

I think timing was key in Ayu's case. They define that particular era of Japanese pop music. She wrote her own lyrics.. very well might I add. Her melodies were top-notch. I believe that DAI is the most important composer in her career, and possibly one of the largest contributors to her success. BLUE BIRD, arguably her last 'successful' single further proves that.

.

I'm so glad you pointed out DAI. ALlthough it might not be the biggest reason for a loss in sales, when a lot of former ayu addicts mention her songs are not the same, but were before, the only constant through her golden age and rise of fame is really DAI. He has a straong presence in her first albums, even though the arangements, styles and themes of the songs differ a LOT (ASFXX to LOVEppears to Duty to I am...). I was one of the apparently few who loved BLUE BIRD from the start, and it was not due to the arrangements. =P

I think the way avex promotes their artists in general, in addition to the usual way of female singers in japan is the reason why she declines in sales. Instead of thinking of somwthing that wouldn't have happened IF she did something different, I think it's better to see it as something she's been postponing in a way that harly any other female idol (Yeah, she was a "mere" idol when she started..)/ artist has done. She's the exception. These females are always heavilty tied in with a fashion or a style, which also means it will fade. Ayumi's chameleon changes made her avoid that along with plausible lyrics. Her fashion changes and sound changes were much more rapid and obious before RAINBOW. I know she couldn't go on like that and I think she makes really good music now as well, but take any song form the pre RAINBOW albums and mix them up they could've made up any of her recent released albums whereas mixing her first fours would've been rather strange.

I cannot remember any other female artist of her caliber that has held up this way, on the contrary I think I can count them on one hand. her staggering number of records sold (note that even if she debuted during the peaks of CD sales, she was debutng while the sales were on their way down. Her sales records are not solely to blame on her time of release)proves this.

As an example of someone who uniquely has managed to get in and out of fashion is Namie Amuro. She was pimped just like ayu, but after her fall managed to create a new base of fans and a new craze being the queen of hip-pop.

Utada is very different from all the others. She was never an idol (which shows both in her packaging, looks and style), she made things her own way from the beginning and debuted as an artist, not to please creepy old men nor specifically teens. She debuted because she could and loved music, she's not an avex idol and it shows through her release pattern as well as many other things. I don't see the need to compare her that much to ayu. If ayu slowed down her album releases she would've been dead. SHe needs to constantly be in the spotlight and release. Like the chart of her first week sales vs other sales showed, her hardcore fans are the biggest fan base sha has left. THat's why she doesen't need as heavy tie ins as Utada for every release, fans will know. Utada needs the right song and the right tie in to attract more non-hardcore fans.

Aside from her sales (ayu's) and even though she might be in a decline in japan I think she could still be seen as an up and coming world wide artist. She's arguably the most known and popular aritst in east asia, and she has a rather big underground following in other parts of the world as well. While the japanese tsunami still taking the world og pop culture with storm and ayumi's english (or maybe even french Haha) improves, she still has a future ahead of her in music with increasing popularity, but maybe not mainly as the aging music diva of japan. She's IMO the first japanese singer that has this unique opportunity, one that never was presented to former like Seiko Matsuda and mome yamaguchi

know many will find this irritating to read, as I'm sounding harsh and blunt, but it's just that she has been using a simillar formula for so long and the same composers and everything. I mean, she's so conservative about her careeer, that sometimes, it really seems like things are just coming automatically, in a fordist way, as a production line. The summer single, the ballad single, the rock single, songs with simillar themes (I'm not saying I want her to shift to a Hip Hop singer but I kinda misss when she was daring enough to try electronic, medieval, arabian and religious themes in her music). Also, we hardly hear things like: "today ayu met the composer "y" famous for doing certain compositions for this and that. ayu decided she'll try something different this time and is she'll be working pretty close to him so that the final result will have her special touch, blah, blah" - i mean, things we see other succesful artists doing. All we hear about is how ayu is getting prepared to shoot a PV, or to shoot for a magazine cover, or working in her tours. We hardly ever get to hear about her getting involved in her music, I mean, there were obviously exceptions in which we got a few heads up: i.e RAINBOW - the song, HEAVEN, the Geo songs, but that's was about that

I agree with this. Allthough I like most of GUILTY, most songs are very conservative ayu and not very daring.

[KarenPang]

to me in that sense , I think it's due to the fact that ayumi has been releasing material non stop consistently on a yearly basis in which in some point in time , her material suffered & so do her sales .

You look at people like Utada , Ken Hirai who take their own time to consolidate their material . I respect both acts in that they take their own time to release their albums as though it's the most natural thing to do & it's saying something since both artistes's recent released new albums are doing pretty well , be it charts & sales wise .

I don't know about you but maybe if ayumi were to stop releasing & chunning out material on an extremely normal/regular basis , maybe her popularity will bound back ? because people will definitely bound not to be surprised that oh she's gonna be releasing X no. of songs for the year .

I rather ayumi keep everyone in suspense , take her own time to write some new fresh great material & then bound back with great songs & a great album to boot .

It's not prob not her fault putting out materials on a yearly basis but I suspect it's all due to Avex . Besides with her ear condition , she definitely needs to slow down .

Maybe she should take a leaflet from OLIVIA ?