Nope. Superbowl, $50 million Pepsi deal for "Grown Woman," H&M commercial, Inauguration performance, etc. A surprise release does not negate the visibility and saturation she's had the entire year.
No, it's a clever release strategy. It's not promo.
Ehhhh. The surprise release and lack of promo from such a huge star gives it a huge amount of hype and media buzz. I think that counts as promo. I mean, it is a very clever release strategy definitely.
Depends who you are comparing her to. Beyoncé is one of the leading women in current music. Her release has been highly anticipated for a long time. To compare her to an artist clearly lower in notoriety is unfair.