The release of Rihanna’s ‘Unapologetic’ CD has reached #1 in the U.S. charts this week. This is her seventh album yet the first to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 and according to Nielson SoundScan she sold a total of 238,000 copies in her first week.

After the end of a strenuous 777 promo Tour and the seemingly failed chartered jet exploit filled with disgruntled journalists having no stories to report, this is the light at the end of a “strategically placed marketing” tunnel.

She created a lot of anticipation for this album by using a different strategy. She released a “Diamonds Deluxe Edition” box for $79 and a “Diamond Executive Platinum Edition” box for $250, which contain a plethora of paraphernalia:

Among the gifts in the Diamonds Deluxe Edition box are , A t-shirt featuring a Michael Muller photo of Rihanna taken during her ‘Unapologetic’ album photo shoots, a limited-edition genuine diamond bracelet,  7 Laptop stickers featuring artwork by Mario Hugo, ‘Unapologetic’ album and “Diamonds” single artwork, the Unapologetic Deluxe CD version with a 28-page photo and art booklet featuring Michael Muller and Melissa T. Forde photography, a 20-minute DVD featuring unreleased footage and a Fan Mosaic poster featuring members of Rihanna’s Navy.

The Diamond Executive Platinum box includes the afore mentioned items above along with a special edition collectible colored “Diamonds” remixes vinyl, A Rihanna Unapologetic 2GB Credit Card style USB Flash Memory Drive, 7 Art print 12 x15 lithographs featuring Michael Muller photography, a Magnus Voll Mathiassen illustration and exclusive unreleased  Rihanna ‘Unapologetic’ images, 3 Device Adhesives featuring Rihanna’s ‘Unapologetic’ cover, logo and image, 11×17 Rihanna handwritten personal note to her Navy, A Rihanna 3D experience View-Master, A 40-page custom Rihanna notebook with handwritten notes and lyrics.

While some may consider it too expensive, it is an ingenious idea that was created for those who are affluent shoppers during this holiday season and to help her brand reach sales goals overall.

The affluent shoppers are expected to spend over 20 percent more this year and luxury retailers can expect a splurge in holiday spending according to the 2012 Q4 Annual Survey of Affluence & Wealth in America. Affluent shoppers don’t have to worry about where their money goes so they can afford the Rihanna “experience” and enjoy the commodities.

On a marketing level, people aren’t necessarily buying the music but the promotional excitement that surrounds it. The pitch for the luxury items are something for the affluent consumer and those that love Rihanna the brand want everything it entails.

Her brand is being looked at as a business and according to Ann C. Logue on entrepreneur.com “businesses prefer a larger margin in order to increase profits, so there is a natural desire to find ways to limit competition. In a healthy market, this happens by introducing better products and services, not by cutting prices.” By adding incentives and gifts to increase the value and price point more consumers are drawn in to purchase and she earns her more money.

Logue also said that, “If a product has network effects–if it becomes more valuable the more people use it–then a low price can get it into the hands of more people and help your business set the standard. On the other hand, a high price can enhance the positioning of a product as a unique or luxury item.” So those that can’t afford the luxury can just get the album for $9.99 at iTunes and Amazon while the high prices of the boxes makes her brand a luxury.

Both the “Diamonds Deluxe Edition” box and the “Diamonds Executive Platinum Edition” box will be released in limited quantities and will be available December 11 on the rihanna.fanfare.com official site.

Image Courtesy : Rihanna

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New York, U.S.A. — The subject of global speculation shrouded in secrecy for one solid month is finally revealed as worldwide superstar Rihanna announces the routing of her unprecedented “777″ tour, marching toward the November 19 release date of “Unapologetic”, her 7th studio album in seven years on Island Def Jam. ”Unapologetic” is arriving on the wings of the chart-dominating #1 global hit “Diamonds,” named the fastest-rising single of Rihanna’s career.

The “777″ tour will proceed as follows:  Wednesday, November 14 in Mexico City; November 15 in Toronto; November 16 in Stockholm; November 17 in Paris; November 18 in Berlin; worldwide release date, Monday, November 19 in London; and Tuesday, November 20 in New York City. Rihanna will announce the venues directly to her fans when she arrives in their city.

“I am so excited about the 777 Tour,” said Rihanna. “We are turning this jumbo jet into our tour bus. We’re practically living on this thing for a week: sleeping, partying, all together. Me, my fans, the press…it’s going to be a wild ride. I wanted it to be a rock n’ roll adventure, and I think when it’s over it will be the coolest thing I’ve ever done. I’m that excited about it.”

Sponsored by HTC Corporation and co-sponsored in the UK by River Island and in Paris by Microsoft, the “777″ tour will take a group of die-hard fans and a traveling international press corps of over 150 journalists representing 82 countries, aboard a chartered Boeing 777 twinjet to 7 concerts in 7 days in 7 countries.  The “777″ tour will host an intimate gig in each of 7 cities in 7 different countries.

Rihanna - the “#1 Person On Facebook” with over 62 million Likes – has sold over 37 million albums and 146 million digital tracks worldwide, and currently holds the record as the top-selling digital artist of all time. The recipient of six Grammy Awards and seven Billboard Music Awards, she was named the world’s #1 social media star by Forbes, with over 2.9 billion views on YouTube/VEVO, the most ever for any female artist, and over 26 million Twitter followers. In addition to her 11 Hot 100 #1 singles and now, with “Diamonds” 23 Hot 100 Top 10 singles, she also has 18 #1 singles on the Billboard Dance Club Song Charts.

Image Courtesy : Rihanna

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