Five reasons why Arcade Fire’s ’Everything Now’ marketing strategy is this year’s best yet

Think what you like about Arcade Fire and their fifth studio album Everything Now, but this album release cycle is one for the record books.

The quirky and satirical approach to publicity has seen the band tackle everything from merchandise to music reviews with originality, calculation and just a hint of sass.

If the indie-icon six-piece haven’t been on your radar, here’s a masterclass in marketing taught by Arcade Fire.

1. They’ve created their own universe

The primary reason Arcade Fire have been able to pull off the stunts they have recently is because they’re operating behind the safety of the fictional universe they’ve created. There’s a reason why the video clip for the album’s title track looks like aliens have landed – it’s to reinforce the fact that whenever Arcade FIre appear in the "real world" we question whether their actions are human, or from an extraterrestrial force. 

The band is reinforcing the reality of their created universe by wearing outfits with the Everything Now logo on them – a uniform reminder that they are a force you don’t want to mess with.

2. Their merchandise is, well, everything

USB fidget spinners with the album loaded onto them? You’ve got it.

T-shirts that flip the script on a famous family coming under fire for misappropriating images of musicians? Yeah, Arcade Fire did that too.

The band’s quick response to pop culture fads and celebrity news is truly inspired. 

The biggest irony is that the band is selling the usual merchandise at their shows emblazoned with the Everything Now Corporation logo – designed to show us that we will voluntarily become part of something without a second thought.

3. The attention to detail is brilliant

In the age of fake news, Arcade Fire are beating everyone to the punch and just publishing their own. 

They created a fake music review site Stereoyum (complete with fake advertisements and every feature of the Stereogum site, right down to the “Heavy Rotation” section), and submitted a “premature premature evaluation” of their album Everything Now on the spoof site.

The review included: “Well, we might have published our anti-Arcade Fire jeremiad a little too early. At the time, we had only heard one track from the new album. Now we’ve heard four, and we might be changing our minds. We’re not entirely sure yet—it’s still a little early—but it seems likely that, by the time we get around to writing our actual Premature Evaluation, we will find ourselves predicting that Everything Now will eventually be evaluated as one of the best albums of the year."

The band also "submitted" a fake list of demands to The Late Show ahead of their appearance on the US TV show that would rival Mariah Carey in the diva stakes. The demands include the band needing every dressing room on the floor and that the first three rows in the studio audience be filled with  “diehard, young, energetic Arcade Fire fans”.

4. They got Apple Music in on the joke

Arcade Fire’s lead singer Win Butler is also a co-founder of streaming service TIDAL, but in the past has been vocal about his thoughts on the management of the company and the launch of the platform. So the only logical thing to do with a new album release is to approach a competitor, right?

That’s exactly what Arcade Fire did, and Apple Music agreed to be part of the action. Not only are Apple sponsoring shows, but the technology giant is also playing along with the satirical side of the release. From fake dress codes for shows to performances at kitschy venues, Apple has attached their name to it all.

5. They earned a #1 on the Billboard Charts

Yep. 10 years after the group’s first song on the Billboard ranking, Arcade Fire has achieved its first No. 1 song on a U.S. chart, sitting on top of the Adult Alternative Songs airplay chart. The band also looks set to claim some of the top spots on album charts around the world, including Australia.