Will Wear White Soon

Katy Perry Announces Pregnancy in Social Media Masterclass

Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom are expecting a baby. First, however, there’s a single to be sold.

In an impressively co-ordinated piece of crossover promotion, Katy Perry announced she is pregnant last night as she released her white wedding-themed new single, “Never Worn White,” hyping expectations that she will marry her fiancé, legendary paddleboard king Orlando Bloom, this summer.

Rumors that Perry, 35, was pregnant have been circulating for weeks and Perry chose the medium of her new music video to announce the pregnancy to the world, cradling her baby bump while wearing a long white gown towards the end of the film.

The artist then shared the news on a variety of other platforms.

To save readers of The Daily Beast spending their day trawling through the sinkhole of Katy Perry’s online presence, here’s a round-up of some of the key moments as they unfolded on social media, which may also be of use to digital marketing consultancies running audience-building workshops.

First off, Katy dropped the, ahem, “tender” new single on Instagram. “California Gurls” it ’aint.

Katy’s message: “It’s gonna be a jam packed summer,” combined with the baby-bump shots appeared to confirm the pregnancy but didn't lock it down.

For confirmation, fans were required to take to Twitter (Cross-platforming? Check!) where she sent a series of further messages:

Fans rushed to congratulate Perry with an onslaught of memes referencing a key moment in the video where Katy at first glance seems to be disguising herself as a fruit salad but, on closer inspection, is masquerading as a wedding bouquet.

Other fans were reminded of the time Katy caught the bouquet at her brother's wedding—and went crazy.

Katy reposted some of these memes on her Instagram page.

Social engagement with key fans, leading to self-generating virtuous cycle of further online activity? Check!

Portrayal of self as genuine and authentic human being, in tune with internet humor and humble enough to be able to laugh at a little self parody? Check, check and check!

So, all in all, well done Katy Perry for showing how to get ultimate commercial traction out of the miracle of pregnancy and the magic of marriage.

If this isn’t a hit, no-one can say she didn't try.

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Tom SykesEuropean Editor at Large

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