A string of hit records and a massive marketing campaign boosted Lady Gaga's Born This Way to the biggest first-week album sales in six years; a strategic success that industry observers say won't be easily replicated.

The 1.11 million copies she sold, the most since 50 Cent's The Massacre sold 1.14 million in 2005, is the result of a steady stream of TV appearances in popular reality shows.

"Whenever an album sells so much in one week, people ask if it's an indication of something broader," says Keith Caulfield, Billboard's associate director of charts/retail. "She is a true pop superstar, ostensibly the biggest in the past three years. Every single is a hit. Every video is a water-cooler moment. All eyes are on Gaga."

The album's sales were helped when Amazon, which often offers $2.99 daily deals on new and hit albums, decided to make Born This Way available for 99 cents. Albums wholesale for more than $8 and sell for an average of $11.99, according to Billboard. The response to the Amazon sale is absolutely gigantic.