Tiffany Goes To The Mall

You may not remember her.
You may not have liked her if you do remember.
You may have never heard of her at all.

None of it really matters, because like her or not, a young pop singer took matters into her own hands on this date in 1987—and I respect that.

The singer was Tiffany Darwish—or just “Tiffany”—and she embarked on a nationwide tour of shopping malls in what is now considered a stroke of marketing genius. Although not a fan myself, I played her songs on the air back in the 80’s—and I respect the savvy of her management and the 15 year old singer herself. That “Mall Tour” turned a floundering career completely around—and made a pop star out of the youngster—if only for a short period of time.

After signing with MCA Records, Tiffany’s discs were gathering dust on store shelves. Long before downloads and iTunes, radio was the #1 way to expose new music and brick and mortar record stores were the only outlets to purchase this music.

Well, radio wasn’t convinced that the young diva had the goods—and sales were miniscule. A brainstorm from Tiffany’s manager—agreed to by the teenager—made all the difference. Tiffany opened at the Paramus Park Mall in New Jersey on this date.

From this humble beginning, Tiffany’s exceptional voice and bubbly personality won over both young and old alike. As she continued to criss-cross the country, the crowds began to grow—and radio began to take notice. Airplay catapulted the youngster into a star whose Mall appearances began to attract huge enthusiastic crowds.

Here’s a video of Tiffany with her hit song “I Think We’re Alone Now”—a remake of the Tommy James and the Shondells hit:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=826PTEuHKhE


Tiffany went on to sell over four MILLION copies of her debut album, so it’s safe to say that the Mall Tour was a good idea.

Of course, her career stalled as music tastes changed-and Tiffany was the focus of tabloid news starting around squabbles with her own parents over financial control-and culminating with her nude photos in Playboy magazine.

Tiffany, now 38, is still recording and performing.

If you’d like my blog in your weekday box, just let me know! Tim.moore@citcomm.com