Mariah Carey's Christmas (marketing) mi racle 🎄

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December 17, 2019

Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Malala Yousafzai talks about education and Greta Thunberg, Carly Fiorina and Rep. Elissa Slotkin come out in favor of impeachment, and Mariah Carey gets the one things she needs. Have a terrific Tuesday.

EVERYONE'S TALKING

- All I want for Christmas is No. 1. Call it Mariah Carey's Christmas miracle!—and by miracle I mean a carefully crafted, years-long marketing push. The singer's indelible ''All I Want for Christmas Is You" finally hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on Monday. No matter the means by which it got there, the accomplishment is undeniable: the song is 25 years old, it's taken the longest of any No. 1 to reach the top spot, and it's the first holiday tune to do so in 60 years. (Its predecessor: "The Chipmunk Song"—how could you forget!?) Plus, it gives Carey her 19th No. 1 hit—just one shy of the record-holding Beatles.

It's no accident that the song has become a holiday season earworm; for years now, Sony Music Group has launched annual campaigns to broaden its appeal, the New York Times reports. There's been a series of live Christmas shows, a children's book, an animated film, a mini-documentary, and new cuts of the old track. The effect has been astounding; the song was streamed 45 million times last week.

Business savvy is partly to credit for the song finally hitting No. 1, but so is its timeless appeal—"a simple, straight-ahead pop gem that just happens to be about Christmas," as Dave Bakula of Nielsen Music puts it.

Then there's Carey's own take; she doesn't fuss over its top spot: “I don’t need something else to validate the existence of this song. I used to pick it apart whenever I listened to it, but at this point, I feel like I’m finally able to enjoy it.”

You enjoy it, Mariah; we'll be singing along, whether we like it or not.

Claire Zillman
@clairezillman
claire.zillman@fortune.com

Today's Broadsheet was produced by Emma Hinchliffe.

ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

- From Fiorina. CNN's Poppy Harlow interviewed Carly Fiorina, who weighed in on impeachment. It's "vital" for President Trump to be impeached, the former presidential candidate said, though she didn't rule out voting for him again in 2020. CNN

- Swing district. Speaking of impeachment, freshman Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat whose district voted for Trump, announced that she would vote for both articles of impeachment. It's a decision the former CIA officer writes in this op-ed that she didn't make "lightly." Detroit Free Press

- Labour leader. The race to replace Jeremy Corbyn is on. Rebecca Long-Bailey, the U.K.'s shadow business secretary, is the most likely candidate to become the next Labour leader; Corbyn has said he will step down in March following Labour's massive losses in the general election. Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner was also in the running but will step aside to aim for deputy leader. Guardian

- Top employer. The federal government is poised to provide 12 weeks paid parental leave to new parents through birth or adoption. That may soon shift the standard for companies, who take a cue from the nation's largest employer and the benefits offered to its 2.1 million employees. Fortune

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: McCann promoted Devika Bulchandani to president of North America. Tracy Brady of Hill Holiday joins Curaleaf as VP, corporate communications. Citizens Financial Group promoted CMO and head of virtual channels Beth Johnson to chief experience officer. Time's Up named Dr. Lauren Powell of the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Health Equity the first executive director of Time's Up Healthcare.

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