Beyoncé’s Renaissance (2022) as a Cultural Universe: Music Marketing, Transmedia Storytelling and Brand Construction

Abstract

This paper analyses Beyoncé’s Renaissance project (2022–2023), conceived as an expanded cultural universe. Its main aim is to examine how her brand is built and consolidated through a transmedia campaign. It also seeks to understand the extent to which this case reflects recent shifts in music marketing and artistic branding in the post-digital era. The study adopts a qualitative, interpretative approach through an instrumental case study. The corpus combines primary and secondary sources. Descriptive analysis and a socio-semiotic reading enable the identification of narrative and aesthetic patterns and the unpacking of social meanings. The results show that Renaissance consolidated a disco-futurist identity through recurring symbols, act-based narratives, and the active involvement of the artist’s fan community, which amplified the project through viral challenges and collective interpretative practices. The world tour and exclusive events translated the album’s aesthetic into the live sphere, while collaborations with luxury brands and the independent distribution of the documentary reinforced its cultural dimension. The study concludes that Beyoncé turned a music release into a global event that makes Afro-descendant and queer communities visible and pays tribute to them. It offers a holistic view of post-digital music marketing and shows how an artistic project can operate as a transmedia universe that combines aesthetics, activism and branding. Renaissance emerges as a paradigmatic model of cultural branding in the post-pandemic era and raises questions about accessibility and sustainability.