Everything post Problem would have flopped without promo and Problem probably wouldn't have been a big and have as much longevity.
It's really hard to point a finger where this campaign has gone wrong but there are so many factors.
- Donutgate
- The 40+ day countdown
- The lack of progression from last era
- The song following a similar formula as Problem
- Releasing a mere week after Justin Bieber and Adele
Who knows, but in my opinion it is a mixture of people not liking the song and the long ass countdown. Even if you look on her social media accounts, the song stopped getting so many likes when she released that first snippet with the horns. People wanted a bit of artistic growth, and this wasn't it.
However, I think most can agree that Problem wasn't the best song on ME, but it was a hit because it was unique at the time. I'm sure Ariana has a hit on her album, so like KOL said, it's just a bump in the road. Another single next year that is good and unique will solve this.
But, that's assuming Scooter is smart enough to even pay attention to anybody other than Justin.