Individual report on devised strategy plan for the development of KIYARA MASSY.
This report focuses on the artistic development of KIYARA MASSY, an emerging independent contemporary R&B/pop artist working within the UK music scene. We have positioned KIYARA MASSY as a “songwriter first” artist, with a heavy focus and push on authenticity, real and raw storytelling and emotionally driven vocals. Her image and brand identity align well with the relatable “girl next door” persona, positioning and aiming to target and connect closely with a “Gen Z” audience. In semester 1, a comprehensive, well-thought-out marketing and development strategy was devised to support KIYARA MASSY’s artistic growth and goals. This strategy was centred around the planned release of a debut EP, which was originally scheduled for April and was later pushed to May. This project was aimed at establishing a clear direction for KIYARA’s early Career development within the competitive and saturated digital music landscape.
The primary aim of our strategy plan was to build and establish a sustainable fanbase, specifically targeting the 16-24 year old, UK demographic, and build momentum for our artist. Additionally, our strategy sought to develop a cohesive and recognisable brand identity and image for our artist. Furthermore, our objective was to maximise eventual streaming performance and online discovery through the use of digital platforms and social media marketing, through which we expected the broadest reach and highest audience yield.
Within this project, my role focused on the development and execution of the social media strategy, establishing and contributing to the artist’s visual branding and image, more specifically, how she presents to both industry and her audience alike. My involvement was centred on ensuring that the necessary steps, actions and measures were taken to achieve our aims with regard to attaining, understanding and growing an audience, as well as establishing a release timeline and overseeing the EP release and launch strategy. I intended to play a key role in the marketing and digital positioning of KIYARA, contributing to the growth of her fanbase, in addition to contributing to both the planning and implementation of the actions in the stages of the strategy.
This report will provide a review and analysis of the outcomes of the implemented strategy. A particular focus will be placed on three key areas in which I was directly involved. This report will then compare the strategy with the outcome, with aims to evaluate the effectiveness of each approach. I will also offer a reflective evaluation of teamwork and the project management process. I will be including a critical reflection on my collaboration, communication, and problem-solving within the group. The overall aim of the report is to critically assess the strategic outcomes and collaborative process involved in the development of KIYARA as an emerging artist.
Photo credit Nana Dwomoh.
Review & Analysis of Strategy Outcomes
Branding: Social Media Establishing a strong, distinguishable Artist identity to both the industry and her audience.
The original strategy aimed to leverage social media and other digital platforms to enhance KIYARA’s visibility, audience growth and engagement. A key component of the plan was to post covers and song snippets regularly to build consistency and eventually work up to creating relatable content that incorporates her music, aimed at further solidifying the “girl next door” persona that her image aligns with and marketing her music at the same time. The strategy was specifically targeted at the Gen Z demographic (16-24), as it reflects the current patterns of music consumption (Zoe Unlimited, 2025) within the same demographic. This target audience was identified following a conversation with the artist, through which a clear understanding of her intended market and audience was established, informing a more strategic and tailored approach to her promotion. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram were prioritised because of their strong influence on the music industry today and artist discovery (Hansen, 2025), with the primary objective being to encourage audience discovery and engagement through high-quality, short-form, relatable and entertaining content. 73% of marketers say that short-form video content will dominate content strategy in 2026, suggesting a significant shift in digital marketing priorities, so to reflect that, we suggested that the artist utilise social media platforms regularly, as social platforms are “aggressively prioritising” short-form content (Adintors,2026). The approach aligns with digital marketing theory, which highlights the importance of platform-specific content in understanding and developing one’s audience. (Chaffey and Ellis-Chadwick, 2022).
Additionally, the strategy also reflects principles of fan-first marketing, where audiences are engaged through consistent and authentic interaction (Hu and Walraven, 2024) as we urged her to respond to every comment and interaction to bolster engagement (Lang, 2025). This impacts how the algorithm reacts and pushes your video to newre broader audiences, increasing visibility, promoting higher engagement rates and building a community of trust and authenticity (Starkie, 2025). The social media strategy was not fully implemented. Posts were meant to be uploaded at a frequency of 2-3 videos a week on both TikTok and Instagram, in line with the initial plan; however, the artist only posted once during the whole campaign on one platform, Instagram.
This is the video that was posted in line with our branding strategy. Current social media trends were integrated into this video to increase visibility and relevance within platform algorithms, like being specific about which time to post and intentions about the sounds added. Evidence of implementation can be seen through analytics such as views, likes, shares, and audience reach. The video KIYARA posted received 4,248 views and reached 2,497 accounts. Screenshots and engagement data further illustrate the extent to which the strategy was executed.
Video credit: KIYARA MASSY
In addition, we did a Google form to collect audience feedback, enabling the evaluation of viewer perceptions, levels of engagement and the overall impact of the content on the intended target audience. The Google form contained questions that were targeted to help us gain a better understanding of audience preferences, content appeal, the extent to which the video aligned with viewer expectations and how it may influence their engagement behaviour. The form was sent to 100 viewers of the video, and we received 31 responses. Upon analysis of the data, we found that out of the 31 people who responded to the form, the majority of those who responded to the form did not know KIYARA MASSY before the video was posted on Instagram.
This suggests that the Strategy of utilising Social media as a means of increasing visibility and facilitating audience growth was effective. Notably, 61.3% of respondents indicated that they had not previously encountered the artist, implying that the content successfully reached new and previously untapped audiences. This highlights the capacity of targeted digital strategies to extend audience reach beyond existing followers while also demonstrating the role of platform algorithms.
From this survey, we were also able to develop a more nuanced understanding of audience preferences and the attributes that distinguish the artists from others. This was achieved through targeted questions such as “What stood out most?”, “Did you interact with the content?”, “Did you interact with the content?”, “Did the video resonate with you?” and “ How would you characterise her (the artist)?”
These insights help provide a valuable foundation for refining and thinking about future content strategies, enabling more targeted audience-informed decision-making, allowing us to lean more into fan-first marketing (Hu and Walraven, 2024). This highlights which aspects of the artists preentationand content resonate most effectively, informing the development of more engaging, relevant and distinctive material that is better aligned with audience expectations and preferences.
When comparing the outcome to the original plan, some key observations can be made. Engagement levels increased one week after the video was posted, but declined after the first week due to a lack of consistency (the algorithm stopped pushing her video to new audiences).
Her page also reached 22.5k views in the last 30 days of posting, suggesting that while the content was effective in generating short-term visibility and traffic, sustained growth would likely require a more consistent posting strategy to maintain algorithmic momentum and engagement over time (Adintors,2026). Despite this, the content was successful in reaching the intended Gen Z audience. In reflection, this post performed extremely well, receiving higher than average engagement for KIYARA MASSY’s posts, garnering a strong amount of reposts, comments, likes and overall engagement, suggesting that she has support and people care about what she is doing (she has a fanbase). However, the content posted was not enough to generate significant traction, as there was no consistency; the effectiveness of the social media strategy was hindered by this. Had there been more consistent posting in line with the strategy, we may have seen a more significant growth in followers and viewership. This could potentially convert into fans and supporters of the artist, therefore growing and establishing an audience. The video partially aligned with current trends and was somewhat likely to be promoted to reach wider audiences on Instagram. Additionally, the authentic feel of the video setup played a significant role in securing audience engagement. Authenticity is a sought-after and valued trait within the 16- 24-year-old demographic. In contrast, the lack of consistency in her content made her videos a commodity and meant that whenever KIYARA would choose to post again, it would receive high engagement as people were waiting for the next time she posts. It also means that Instagram will be willing to push the next post more in an attempt to encourage her to post more. This would be effective as a wider industry research suggests that a significant proportion of users discover new music through social media platforms. (Hansen, 2025). The results of the implemented strategy support the idea that strategic and consistent content creation is essential for artist discovery as well as audience growth in the current music market. However, limitations in consistency may have reduced the overall effectiveness of the strategy.
Despite having a small level of success, the social media strategy contributed to the artist’s overall development. There was a noticeable impact on audience growth and engagement, especially within the target demographic. The strategy helped us get a clear understanding of her audience as well as establish a clearer and more consistent artist identity. The increased interaction and engagement from followers contributed to a stronger sense of fan connection, which helps meet her goal of being a singer-songwriter and being able to make a living from her music, as the intention is that these followers will form a connection to her and become paying consumers of her craft when the time comes. Overall, social media played a crucial role in supporting KIYARA MASSY’s early-stage career development.
Project Timeline, SMART Goals and Targets
At the outset of this project, a thorough project timeline was developed to guide the implementation of the artist development strategy. The timeline acted as a framework for organising key activities and deadlines throughout the project. This approach aimed to ensure that all aspects of the strategy were executed in a logical, time-bound manner. Timelines provide a structured visual representation and ensure accountability, acting as an efficient resource for project management (Tan,2023). The creation of a clear timeline was especially important, given the project’s focus on a fixed EP release date. To support the timeline, we established a series of SMART goals to ensure clarity and that we are effective. These goals were designed to be specific, measurable, achievable (actionable), relevant and time-bound, working in line with effective project planning (Tiwari,2025). The primary SMART objectives were centred around the release of a 3-4 track EP to be released on May 29th. We embedded short-term, mid-term and long-term goals to track progress toward our overarching goal, to release an EP.
Screenshots of the shared notes page detailing project plans.
The long-term goals of the strategy initially focused on establishing the artist as a professional singer-songwriter. These objectives included building a sustainable career, developing a strong fanbase and performing original material, with the release of an EP being positioned as a key milestone in achieving this. Short-term goals consisted of smaller tasks that made KIYARA MASSY think about her positioning and how she would like to be perceived. Short-term objectives were established, such as developing the artist’s name and defining her identity, each accompanied by specific deadlines that were aligned with subsequent meetings. These mini goals were intended to create structure and maintain momentum within the project, ensuring that progress was reviewed continuously and built upon. By attaching clear timeframes to goals, we aimed to encourage accountability, ongoing discussion, and support the refinement of the artist’s brand identity within a manageable system. The short-term goals were established to support the long-term ambition of being a professional singer-songwriter and releasing a 3-4 track EP. A series of mid-term goals were identified, including the completion of 2 demo recordings, registration with PRS for Music, the development of an Electronic Press Kit (EPK) and the organisation of a professional photoshoot to support both brand establishment and the creation of visuals and artwork for single and EP releases. Collectively, these goals were intended to strengthen the artist’s professional presence, ensure industry readiness and establish a cohesive visual identity in preparation for future promotional activities and distribution. These targets were essential in maintaining momentum and measuring incremental progress, and each stage of the timeline was designed to contribute directly to the final EP release, reflecting a step-by-step approach to artist development where smaller achievements build towards larger outcomes.
In practice, the timeline was intended to provide structure and sustain momentum throughout the artist development project. It was put in place to function as a mechanism for monitoring progress, ensuring that key milestones were met, whilst maintaining accountability both within the team and in collaboration with the artist. Initially, there was an effort to adhere closely to the deadlines already established in order to prevent delays. However, in retrospect, the timeline lacked sufficient flexibility and did not adequately account for potential setbacks (Dwomoh, 2026b). As a result, when deadline where inevitably missed, delays had a compounding effect on subsequent stages of the project. While some mid-term goals, such as the photoshoot and the development of an EPK, were successfully achieved, other important goals were not: registration with PRS for music was not done, and the planned demo recordings were not produced. This significantly hindered the proposed release strategy for semester 1, ultimately contributing to the decision not to proceed with the EP release.
Furthermore, the timeline proved to be heavily dependent on external factors, especially regarding receiving the demo tracks. The absence of these key parts of the plan disrupted the overall workflow, highlighting the limitations of a rigid planning approach and stressing the importance of incorporating contingency measures within project timelines (Garcia, 2024).
When comparing the planned timeline to the actual outcomes, several things became evident. While the initial stages of planning were completed effectively, the later stages experienced delays. The inability to meet certain targets impacted the feasibility of achieving the over ar ching long term goal and highlight teh interdependence between different stages of the timeline. The limitation of the timeline can be tied toan over reliance on things outside the team’s control. Although SMART goals were clearly defined, their achievability (or actionability) was dependent on the consistent input from the artist. This suggests that while structured planning can be essential, flexibility is equally important in creative projects (Garcia,2024) /this experience demonstrates that timelines must also leave room for uncertainties, especially in collaborative creative projects where you are reliant on the creative output of others.
Despite these challenges, the use of a project timeline and SMART goals provided a strong foundation. The structured approach enabled the team to maintain clarity and direction during the early stages of the project. however the lack of contingency planning limited our ability to adapt when challenges arose, highlighting the importance of balancing structure with adaptability in project management.
Photo credit: Nana Dwomoh
Reflective Evaluation
Teamwork and Artist Selection
In retrospect, a critical limitation of the project was the initial selection of the artist. In the beginning, KIYARA MASSY seemed to be a suitable candidate for this artist development project due to her positioning as an emerging artist with minimal established branding. This “blank slate”, we thought, provided us a high level of creative flexibility, allowing the team to shape a clear and easy artistic direction. However, this assumption underestimated the importance of artist readiness and motivation (Dwomoh, 2026a) within this artist development project. While we took the appropriate preparatory steps, including research, strategic planning, the creation of a project timeline and photoshoots to help establish her image as an artist, the effectiveness was ultimately constrained by the artist’s limited output and engagement. Our strategy was heavily contingent on the release of music (Dwomoh,2026a), more specifically, the initial demo tracks that we had intended to be developed into singles and then ultimately an EP. When the demos were not provided, the foundation of the strategy was significantly weakened and hindered, highlighting an oversight in the project’s planning process: the failure to adequately assess the artist’s capacity and readiness to meet the demands of the proposed strategy. Although KIYARA MASSY aligned with the project’s criteria “on paper”, the lack of existing “motivation” and tangible goals made the implementation challenging. Reflecting on this, a more suitable approach would have been to select an artist with a stronger foundation of content or demonstrated consistency in output. Alternatively, another suitable approach would be if we had changed or altered the plan to suit the artist’s position and “stage” she is in, as opposed to expecting her to meet expectations and demands that she simply was not ready for, reducing dependency risks.
Team Collaboration and Communication
From a teamworking perspective, our collaboration within the group was initially highly effective. As a small group, there was a strong alignment in creative vision and strategic direction during the early stages of the project. Communication was frequent, clear and constructive, enabling efficient planning and decision making. Our communication with the artist was initially facilitated through iMessage and weekly in person meeting, allowing the group to track progress regularly and address issues in the initial stages. However, as the project progressed, the frequency and level at which we communicated as a group began to decline. This shift appeared to be closely linked to a loss of momentum within the project. From the interview conducted with my teammate and artist, I understood this to be largely because of the absence of the required music from the artist. As progress stalled, engagement within the team decreased, and communication became less consistent, whereas we had previously maintained regular meetings and had been in continuous communication, interactions became more unplanned and less structured, worsening delays and reducing overall cohesion of the group. This reflects a broader challenge in collaborative work, where motivation and interaction can be greatly influenced by external factors. In this case, the team’s reliance on the artist’s output created a dependency that had a significant impact. While the initial stages aligned with the “forming” and “norming” stages of Tuckman’s model, the project struggled to sustain the “performing” stage.
Project Management and Dependency Challenges
The group demonstrated a strong commitment to the project management process, including the development of timelines, strategic plans and schedule deliverables (EP demos). Effort was invested in sticking to the structure put in place, and the team consistently attempted to maintain progress in line with the original plan, opting to alter the timeline regularly to accommodate emerging challenges and mitigate setbacks. Despite this, the project revealed significant limitations in the management approach: an over-reliance on external input (Dwomoh,2026a). The strategy was designed with key milestones, such as the delivery of demo recordings, which were outside the team’s direct control./when these milestones were not met, the group lacked a contingency plan (Garcia, 2024), which resulted in delays and uncertainty on next steps. This experience highlights the importance of flexibility and risk management within project planning, suggesting that it is critical for project success. While the team demonstrated a strong level of organisational skills and commitment, the absence of contingencies limited our ability to adapt effectively. I believe future projects would benefit greatly from incorporating contingencies as well as agile project management (Garcia, 2024) to mitigate similar risks.
Effort, Motivation, and Professional Reflection
It is important to acknowledge that the team demonstrated a high level of commitment throughout the project. Significant time and effort were invested in research, planning and communication with the artist. We actively attempted to motivate and engage the artists, offering to set up songwriting and recording sessions, recognising the importance of collaboration in achieving the project’s goals and suggesting it is the cornerstone of successful project management (Sheikh, 2024). However, this experience has also emphasised a key insight: the success of a development strategy is heavily dependent on the artist’s level of engagement and investment. Despite the team’s efforts, the lack of reciprocal commitment ultimately limited the project’s progression. This reinforces the importance of mutual accountability within creative projects and collaborations.
From a personal perspective, this project contributed to a deeper understanding of the development of creative individuals. It highlighted the need for clearer expectation setting, a more thorough assessment of the artist and enforced a greater need for adaptability in the face of unforeseen challenges (Garcia,2024) as wella s emphasisin the importance of not placing a heavy dependency on the output of the artist.
Reflecting on this experience, several improvements can be identified for future artist development projects. Firstly, a greater emphasis should be placed on assessing the readiness and reliability of collaborators before project initiation (Dwomoh, 2026a). Secondly, strategies should be built with greater flexibility, including contingency plans to account for potential delays or te non delivery of key materials (Garcia, 2024)(Dwomoh, 2026b). Additionally, the maintenance of consistent communication and motivation within the team, even during periods of reduced progress, would be beneficial in sustaining engagement. Finally, adopting a more proactive approach to problem-solving (Dwomoh, 2026b) may help to combat the impact of external challenges.
Concluded Thoughts
This project has been a significant learning experience through which I have developed both practical and reflective skills. In particular, I have gained a deeper understanding of effective collaboration within a team, including recognising what strategies contribute to success and which approaches are less effective. Working alongside creative individuals has highlighted both the value and challenges of relying on artists, especially the unpredictability that can accompany creative output. As a result i have learnt the importance of maintaining flexibility and not placing an excessive dependence on any single element on teh process. Although the original goal of releasing an EP was not ultimately achieved, the project can not be considered fully unsuccessful. It provided a valuable opportunity to acquire and refine a wide range of transferable skills, including communication, organistation, adaptabilitytya nd critical evaluation. These skills are essential within both creative industries and broader professional contexts.
Overall, while the strategy was well researched and appropriately structured, its effectiveness was ultimately limited by factors that were beyond our control. A key insight from this project is that strong strategic planning alone is not going to yield successful outcomes. Within this artistic development project, we demonstrated a clear understanding of digital marketing and branding, applying relevant knowledge like social media engagement (Kenan, 2022) and fan-first marketing (Hu and Walraven, 2024), the use of structured timelines to our project timeline (Tan, 2023) and smart goals further reflect a professional organisation approach. however the reliance on the artist to deliver essential materials heavily impacted the execution of the strategy, highlighting the importance of aligning Strategic ambition with the practical realities of the artist’s capacity and commitment (Dwomoh, 2026a).
Furthermore, this experience has enabled me to identify clear areas for improvement. I now have a more sound awareness of how to structure similar projects more effectively in the future, supported by the knowledge and research I have gained. If I were to do this again, I am confident that I would approach it with greater efficiency, strategic planning, and resilience, which I hope would ultimately increase the likelihood of a successful outcome.
Bibliography
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Appendices
Appendix 1 – Pie chart of responses from Google form on viewer interaction.Question 1. (Dwomoh, 2026c)
Appendix 2 – Pie chart of responses from Google form on viewer interaction. Question 2. (Dwomoh, 2026c)
Appendix 3 – Pie chart of responses from Google form on viewer interaction. Question 3 (Dwomoh, 2026c)
Appendix 4 – Pie chart of responses from Google form on viewer interaction. Question 6. (Dwomoh, 2026c)
Appendix 5 – Word Cloud created by the responses to question 5 of the Google form (Dwomoh, 2026)
Appendix 6 – Word Cloud created by the responses to question 4 of the Google form (Dwomoh, 2026)
Appendix 7 – Screenshots of the initial goal-setting plan
