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After a seven-year hiatus, Justin Timberlake is not only bringing sexy back — he’s rewriting the promotional playbook for the music business.
Thanks to a months-long, multi-pronged marketing strategy, his new album, “The 20/20 Experience,” pulled off an impressive feat: selling nearly 1 million copies in its first week.
The album debuted at No. 1 on the charts with 968,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It also ranks as the fastest-selling album in the history of iTunes.
Timberlake and his record label, Sony, left little to chance in plotting his comeback by following an exhaustive, step-by-step plan.
That included a retail partnership with Target for an exclusive album with two bonus tracks as well as a marketing blitz for Bud Light Platinum in which he served as creative director.
In addition, he did a week-long stint on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” appeared as both the host and musical guest on “Saturday Night Live” and held a secret show at the arts festival South by Southwest.
All this was on top of his much-hyped return to the Grammys with rapper Jay-Z in February. The two will also go on tour together this summer.
Industry experts said the timetable and techniques of Timberlake are setting the standard for launching a top-selling album.
“You have to go big or go home,” said Bill Werde, editorial director at Billboard. “You have to try three times as hard to make the same money.”
At the same time, a music label veteran said the exhaustive promotional efforts shows how challenging it is to cut through the noise, even with a superstar.
“The music business is so fractured,” the exec said. “We’re in an environment where there are no more record stores.”
Even if Timberlake cracks the 1 million mark, he is unlikely to top albums by two newer artists: Taylor Swift’s “Red,” which notched first-week sales of 1.2 million last year, and Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” in 2011.
Another issue is staying power: Will Timberlake have a huge first week and quickly trail off?
“Justin is a rare talent, but the real question is what about the ‘hip-hop drop’?” said the music veteran.
Last year, Madonna’s “MDNA” hit No. 1, selling 359,000 copies in its debut, before dropping to just 48,000 in its second week.
So far, Timberlake is beating even his own records.
His last album, “FutureSex/LoveSounds,” sold 684,000 in its first week in September 2006, and went on to sell 4.4 million, according to Nielsen SoundScan’s David Bakula, senior vice president of client insights.
Bakula noted that Timberlake was also part of boy band ’N Sync, which notched the two biggest first-week album sales in the past 20 years. “No Strings Attached” sold 2.4 million in 2000, while “Celebrity” sold 1.88 million in 2001.
Timberlake’s album is part of a long-term contract with Sony, which had spent years coaxing him back to the studio.