@KatyPerry: Pop Stars & Data-Driven Marketing

Along with being the pop star who brought us such hits as “Firework,” “Teenage Dream,” and tween favorite, “I Kissed a Girl,” Katy Perry (@katyperry) is also a Twitter pioneer.  Currently she holds the title as the sixth most followed person on Twitter (beating Ashton Kutcher!) and she’s decided to take her mega social fame off the computer and into her concerts.

MediaBistro reports Perry will be letting the excited fans let fly Tweets and Twitpics live during concerts to display on a giant Jumbotron screen. (Ten bucks says someone proposes marriage via Tweet at Perry’s California Dreams 2011 concert.)

According to the report from AllTwitter.com, “Each show will have its own unique #hashtag that fans can add to their tweets, and those selected will appear on the massive on-stage screens before the show starts.”

Granted small local events across the nation have been using this tactic for a while now, but this is the first report we’ve heard of where a mega celebrity is allowing the thoughts and feelings of thousands of fans to be displayed so visibly and during a performance no less. We have to ask, what would Steve Martin think? (See:  No One is Safe, Not Even Steve Martin)

Mass Relevance is the company cited as organizing the Tweet-to-Screen technology for Perry’s event.  This is the same company that has executed similar functions for ESPN’s March Madness, The Oscars and The Golden Globes.

While it’s easy to see how this kind of execution could provide mega conversation fuel on social, from a PR perspective this also demonstrates Ms. Perry’s willingness to open herself up to live, real time criticism while she’s on stage.  The reality of it is however, the conversation will be taking place online regardless of whether it is broadcast for all the concert goers to see, this just allows more people to be included and for Perry to join the conversation while it’s happening.

We’re eager to hear how it all goes.