MARKETING IN THE DIGITAL AGE: A CASE STUDY OF THE SELF-TITLED ALBUM *BEYONCÉ*

Abstract

The digital age has transformed communication, consumption and relationships between brands and audiences. In this context, marketing has moved from a predominantly vertical and promotion-oriented logic towards configurations characterised by connectivity, participation and the horizontal circulation of information. This article analyses the release of the visual album BEYONCÉ, launched in December 2013, as a case study of changes in marketing and communication strategies within the music industry. The research adopts a qualitative, exploratory-descriptive approach and is designed as a single-case study based on documentary analysis of secondary sources. The corpus was organised into three groups: theoretical literature on marketing, communication and branding; academic studies related to the music industry and Beyoncé's career; and specialised journalistic and documentary sources used to reconstruct the release, its results and its repercussions. The analysis was structured around the dimensions of customer, cost and communication, articulated with the 5As model of the consumer journey and Aaker's dimensions of brand equity. Triangulation was conducted by comparing different types of sources and confronting empirical evidence with theoretical frameworks. The findings indicate that the release combined digital distribution, surprise, direct communication, integrated audiovisual content and the mobilisation of a previously established fan community. The case demonstrates the convergence between brand equity, digital connectivity and innovative release strategies. However, the findings must be interpreted in light of the methodological limitations of a single-case study based on secondary sources, which do not allow statistical generalisation or definitive causal inferences.