by Terri Horak (pgs: 11, 109)

With Tigerlily, the first solo album from former 10,000 Maniacs singer Natalie Merchant having achieved double-platinum status in the U.S., Elektra Records is mounting a considerable marketing effort in Europe.

"We really are treating it as if it was a brand-new record," says Bill Berger, senior VP of international at Elektra Entertainment Group.

Toward that end, the label has created new packaging and promotional art and is planning an extensive advertising and media campaign.

Tigerlily was released June 20, 1995 worldwide and has sold more than 85,000 pieces in Europe, according to Berger.

Concert dates with Sting are leading the charge of renewed exposure for Merchant in the U.K. and continental Europe; she will open shows for the artist in March and April in Holland, Belgium, France and Spain. Solo dates are set for Germany and England.

"I think the people who attend the Sting shows are the type of people who would be open to her kind of music," says JoAnn Kaeding, senior director of international marketing for Elektra Entertainment Group. "We couldn't ask for a nicer coupling. It will be a great night out for people and a real opportunity for her to gain some fans from like-minded people."

In another promotion, the label has created a limited-edition package of Tigerlily that includes a bonus CD containing a remix of Jealousy and four live tracks; the set will be available in continental Europe.

The single Wonder is getting bonus treatment. Two CD singles containing extra tracks and a special cassette single go on sale April 8 in the U.K.

The label has also produced a promo-only disc with eight tracks that sample Merchant's career. "It's sort of a history of Natalie Merchant", Berger says. The package features a 24-page booklet containing artwork by Merchant and will be shipped to European media with the Wonder video.

The label plans radio, TV and print advertising tied to her live dates, which begin March 17 in Hamburg. Elektra will put up 1,000 snipes in each of the tour's 20 cities.

In the U.K., the ad campaign will include bus sides, and in France the snipe posters will be framed and hung in all metro stations.

At retail, Elektra plans window and endcap displays, says Berger, who adds that listening posts are a key component of the in-store push.

HMV U.K. chart albums buyer Andy Fordyce says, "The album could happen. We will support whatever [the label] wants to do." Fordyce believes Merchant's allure in the U.K. will be centered around the country's "sophisticated" demographics.

"It will appeal more to the people who read the Sunday supplments," he says. "[The label is] trying to make this a Tori Amos or Joan Osborne-type project, rather than a 10,000 Maniacs spin-off project, as they did the first time around."

In Germany, where Merchant will headline in four cities, the promoter has created its own poster. A follow-up readio campaign will begin two weeks after her tour of that country wraps March 22. The video for Wonder is already airing on music video channel Viva II, according the label and ships to MTV Europe this week.

Television and print coverage is expected, but, Berger syas, "she's the kind of artist that really, truly has to tour and be seen. She's the key element in this whole thing, and that's why we've asked her to be so involved" in the marketing.

In addition to creating the artwork for the promotional booklet, Merchant picked the photos, posters and songs for the special discs. "She has no interest in marketing, per se," says her manager Jon Landau, "but I think she likes to put a personal stamp on things, so it's authentic and coming from her."

While Merchant has played Europe with the 10,000 Maniacs, showcases near the June release of Tigerlily were her first dates there with her current band.

"After eight months of dates in the U.S., we have grown into a solid performing group," Merchant says. "I'm looking forward to this second trip."

Considering that each of the last three 10,000 Maniacs albums has sold approximately 150,000 copies in Europe, according to the label, it would seem that Merchant has made a connection with the European aesthetic.

"It's natural for Natalie's artistry to find a home in Europe, where there is a great appreciation for someone who can write beautiful songs and give a great performance," Landau says.