Clear Channel, iHeartRadio build "GagaVille"

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A new way to incorporate social media and gaming into record promotions: Clear Channel Radio is partnering with Lady Gaga and social game developer Zynga to provide early access to a selection of songs from her much-anticipated album “Born This Way.”  The partnership is powered by its iHeartRadio app / platform and will be promoted there, as well as across 148 CC Radio stations.


Zynga, maker of FarmVille for Facebook, will create a unique experience for players/”farmers” and Lady Gaga fans within the FarmVille world. Via iHeartRadio, select tracks from “Born This Way” will be available within FarmVille beginning 5/17, six days before the album is released on 5/23.

From 5/17 to 5/26, Lady Gaga will become a neighbor to the 46 million monthly players of FarmVille when Zynga launches “GagaVille,” a neighboring farm within Farmville, which will incorporate key themes and storylines of “Born This Way”. 

Players who execute Gaga-themed quests in GagaVille will unlock the iHeartRadio player, enabling them to stream songs.  In addition, Lady Gaga will announce codes that unlock exclusive Lady Gaga-inspired limited edition virtual items on 148 Clear Channel stations on 5/17.

Bob Pittman, Chairman of Media and Entertainment Platforms at Clear Channel, notes that radio has been “Lady Gaga’s virtual stage from the very beginning, enabling fans to connect with her 24×7, and this is another extension of that stage. We are deeply invested in working with both platform partners and record labels to promote new music in creative ways that reach fans wherever they are.”

RBR-TVBR observation: The efficiency of doing a promotion such as this is probably incredible. Everything is done from a single source and executed in cyberspace. The on-air and iHeartRadio mentions are really the match and FarmVille is the social media fuse. The promotion will organically spread from there, letting the game and Facebook do most of the heavy lifting.