Is there ever been an even bigger global marketing campaign? Adele returned to the limelight for her 30th album release with a full range of activities. From mysteriously appearing number 30 on buildings all over the globe to two Vogue covers, and several starry interviews, it was a complete marketing campaign.
But then, with an army of LA’s top movers and shakers — plus a budget of £35 million — at her disposal, it’s no surprise she’s taken the world by storm.
We reveal the story of how Anna Wintour managed to launch an Adele album, despite having to broker peace between Vogue chief Edward Enninful & Anna Wintour. . .
HINTS THAT BEGAN YEARS BACK
Adele, who is 31 years old today, officially began the 30-bandwagon on May 5, 2019.
In Instagram, she posted a collection of black and white photos of herself. . . thank f***king god. Although 30 was a difficult number for me, I accepted it and tried my best to embrace it.
31 is going to be an important year, and I will spend it all by myself. This is the first time I have felt the world around and looked up in 10 years.
We now have the lyrics to Easy On Me by 30.
Chic: Adele, who is 31 years old today, officially began the 30-bandwagon on May 5, 2019.
SPINNING A SECRET SUMMER CRISIS
Vinyl was one of the speed bumps that had to be negotiated this summer on the way to the album’s launch.
Only a handful of vinyl pressing plants exist — there are only ten established ones of any meaningful size worldwide — and they are currently battling a shortage of PVC.
Yet Sony — Adele’s label — wanted 500,000 copies of the album pressed.
It’s a staggering number. To give you an idea of how large this number is, the reprints Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours (the most-sold album in the UK) sell approximately 30,000 copies per year. Sony needed to order the pressing plant six months ahead of time and reduce orders for large-selling heritage albums.
Adele’s vinyl grab affected smaller artists like Billy Bragg. Bragg has delayed the release his next album due to insufficient vinyl manufacturing capacity.
Vinyl is the highest grossing format for artists and record labels, and Adele’s charging £35 for a limited edition clear vinyl of 30.
Vinyl is the highest grossing format for artists and record labels, and Adele’s charging £35 for a limited edition clear vinyl of 30. Chat with Adele: Oprah interviews her
What DOES TAYLOR KNOW?
Taylor Swift, Adele’s friend and collaborator, brought Taylor Swift’s new album Red: Taylor’s Version to the public on September 30. It was released from November 19 until November 12.
Although Taylor did not mention her reasons for changing the launch date that she announced in June, pop stars immediately became curious about Taylor’s actions.
The conclusion? They could only find an artist with similar stardom and a fan base that long yearned for new music. The rumors of an Adele new album were circulating on November 19.
TANTALIZING TEASERS
The projections of the number 30, which was projected on three buildings in Paris: the Eiffel Tower, Colosseum and Empire State Building in New York City, were visible from October 1.
A number of billboards were placed in major cities around the globe bearing the words “30” in gold and blue from this day forward.
Adele also updated her Twitter, Instagram pages and changed the blue and gold color scheme to match on October 4.
Music: On the 5th of October, an artistically shot teaser clip in black and white announced that the single Easy On Me would be released on the 15th.
On October 5, a black and white teaser clip was released revealing the new single Easy On Me. This teaser clip showed Adele riding in a car. The opening to the song was revealed.
Easy On Me, the video, was recorded in Quebec (Canada) on September 15-16. The video was directed by Xavier Dolan. He also directed the video for Hello from 25. It was filmed at the same location, a Sutton mansion. The shoot involved up to 100 people.
In the video, Adele wears a Lanvin PVC trench coat that was custom-designed for her by Bruno Sialelli of the label, and is worth around £3,000.
VOGUE DOUBLE WAHMY
On October 7, U.S. Vogue and UK Vogue simultaneously released their November editions with Adele as the cover star — the first time they’ve shared a cover star the same month.
It had a huge impact with over 42.1 million views online and 23.5 millions views for associated video content.
Sergio Kletnoy (Vogue’s global Entertainment Director) is responsible for the scoop. He’s friends with Adele’s pal, the British pop star Harry Styles — and reveals that the famously steely British executive Anna Wintour was the one who had the brainwave.
Wintour and Enninful were brought together by the joint project. It marks an end to years of conflict between their empires.
Kletnoy said to the Mail that Anna suggested they explore the possibility of U.S. and UK editions sharing one cover star. Together, Anna and Edward devised a plan for two cover shoots with two different videos and two different writers.
‘It took a ton of conversation — and trust — between the Vogue teams on both sides of the Atlantic. You don’t want the same story repeated twice in a project such as this. We were careful to preserve the point of view and personality of our two titles — both our storytelling and our visual approaches complemented each other.
Cover star: On October 7, U.S. Vogue and UK Vogue simultaneously released their November editions with Adele as the cover star — the first time they’ve shared a cover star the same month
Adele graciously gave each writer a different experience. . . Adele also played new songs, which was a treat for both of us writers. She is also just the most colourful storyteller — she knows how to make each interview different. This interview was about trust, open communication and some bit of trust.
How did Vogue manage to get Adele? Sergio says that this was a long-awaited decision. “I have been in touch with Adele’s staff for several years. After we received some information about the music’s release in 2021, I started intense negotiations with her publicist.
Adele was so excited. Two shoots, two videos and two interviews took her more than a week. After waiting so long for new music to come out, we all knew this was our chance to make an impact.
These shoots, which were both done here since Adele lives and works in the U.S. . . Adele was a fan of the clothing and collaborated with Tonne Goodman, our fashion editor, to create every look for American Cover. A 73 Questions video was also shot. [a Vogue series of quickfire celebrity interviews] — she was up for anything. She said that she had seen every episode and it was a long wait.
THE SINGLE HAS DELIVERED
Easy On Me, which was released on October 15th, broke the record of the most streamed song within a single day with almost 85 million songs per week and 24 million streams in a single day. It has reached No. 1 in 23 countries. Apple Music has now broken the record of 30 for having added the most pre-added albums (when an artist adds an album to a playlist prior to its release).
STUDDED Audience
Adele One Night Only, was recorded at Griffith Observatory Los Angeles on October 24, 2012. Oprah Winfrey interviews the special and shows concert footage.
Angelo Konecki and Simon Konecki, her son, were both present at the event. Other stars included Gordon Ramsay (TV host) and Gayle King (TV presenter).
Dua lipa, Emma Watson, and Emma Thompson were among the stars of last week’s ITV Special.
Both shows featured Easy On Me as well as I Drink Wine, a brand new track by her and several other hits.
Sources from the London show revealed that everyone in the audience had to sign a waiver committing not to discuss the show. The audience members were also required to secure their smartphones with magnetic locks and have them bagged.
Night out: Adele one night only was filmed in Los Angeles at Griffith Observatory on October 24, 2012. Oprah Winfrey interviews the special for two hours. Concert footage is also included.
Adele was able to answer all the questions asked by celebrities with scripted answers. A member of the audience commented that Adele appeared nervous and nearly monosyllabic during the beginning of the show.
Rich Paul, Rich’s boyfriend, saw her from behindstage, and the pair left immediately afterward.
Oprah wore a white suit in LA to match Adele’s after she saw what Adele was wearing.
She said that the show was her idea. Although the record label was keen to have her do regular chat shows, she preferred to be more in control.
Gayle King was Oprah’s friend and best friend. She said that the women hadn’t met prior to the Oprah interview at Oprah’s rose garden, which she called a special day for both of them.
LOYAL GLAM QUAD
Adele relied on her same team for both professional appearances and personal ones throughout her media campaign. Anthony H Nguyen, a make-up artist, worked on the video as well as all of her album artwork. When Adele became an official Instagram user at the September wedding of Rich Paul, her makeup was also done by him. Their relationship dates back to 2018.
Sami Knight, a hairdresser, has styled her hair for the cover of the album and Vogue.
Gaelle Paul and Jamie Mizrahi were the stylists that Adele used. Mizrahi wore the Schiaparelli gowns she wore on the wedding day with Rich Paul and in London.
Real: Adele on Instagram live. Adele has relied upon the same crew for her professional and private appearances during her media push
TRANSATLANTIC TV SPRIALS – KARAOKE WITH CORDEN
After Adele’s first TV appearance, she sang Chasing Pavements for T4 in 2009. James Corden and Adele became friends. She and Corden, then best known for his role in the comedy series Gavin And Stacey, were both regulars on London’s social scene.
In 2016 she performed on Corden’s Carpool Karaoke , a segment of his U.S. chat show, the Late Late Show. The show’s producer, British TV executive Ben Winston, son of Lord Robert Winston, is also a close friend.
With 30’s release on November 19, Adele is doing two TV specials: Adele One Night Only for the American TV network CBS, airing tomorrow, and An Audience With Adele for ITV, to air on November 21. Both shows are being made by Ben Winston via the production company Fulwell 73 — of which Corden is also a director.
Friends: With 30’s release on November 19, Adele is doing two TV specials: Adele One Night Only for the American TV network CBS, airing tomorrow, and An Audience With Adele for ITV, to air on November 21
BRIT TEAM BEHIND HIM
Adele is being managed by an almost all-British staff. Jonathan Dickins is her manager. He signed her up in 2006, before Adele had any record deals. Both her TV and radio shows have him as a producer.
Londoner Dickins paid himself £10 million last year thanks to Adele’s success. Adele is his sister Lucy’s agent.
Adele signed a £90 million deal with Sony in 2016, and this is her first album to be released under Sony’s Columbia label imprint, which is run by Brit Rob Stringer, who is married to Julia Carling, ex-wife of rugby player Will.
Ferdy unger-Hamilton runs Columbia in the UK. He too is a pal of Adele’s and is most famous for having written the song Rise for Gabrielle — which Adele used to belt out when she was at the Brit School in her teens.
Multiple industry sources say Sony will have spent £35 million on advertising the launch of the album. This album was traditionally promoted using media advertising, billboards and television.