Gaga's Promo Bonanza: Starbucks, Best Buy, and the MTA!

Just when you thought record labels forgot how to promote an album...

Interscope is prepping the most outrageously epic promotion ahead of the most anticipated release of the year, Lady Gaga's Born This Way. On top of the brilliant partnership with Zynga games (behind online hits Farmville and Words with Friends) and all of the TV appearances she has lined up, the label has teamed up with coffee giant Starbucks on a digital scavenger hunt called SRCH. The game, launched by a QR code, will unlock prizes. Starbucks will also have a special edition of Born This Way on its shelves and will be playing the album in its US locations.

Electronics retail giant Best Buy will host Gaga at one of its locations in New York on Monday, the day of the album's release. The store has also teamed with her on a promotion that offers free copies of the CD with the purchase of select smartphones.

The most unbelievable of them all is Interscope's apparent deal with the MTA to virtually paint Gaga all over select New York City trains (it appears to be the S train, the shuttle between Grand Central Terminal and Port Authority Bus Terminal), like so:

courtesy of the 92.3 NOW website

Music trade publication Hits Daily Double is predicting first week sales of 500-700,000 copies, but with promotion like this, it seems like a million might actually possible. It's pretty impossible to believe that there is a single person who exists that doesn't know about this album.

I have to say, the promo surrounding this album is unlike anything I've seen in over a decade. I remember when McDonalds had that special CD featuring Britney Spears and NSYNC songs, back when Jive wasn't a crappy label. Artists used to really promote their work back then, which probably helps explain the astronomical sales they experienced, especially in the late 90s.

Interscope and Gaga are banking on their methods having the same effect. The only question is, will it work? I believe it will.

Born This Way is out worldwide on Monday, May 23rd (you know, if we survive the rapture and everything :) )