Friday, January 20, 2012

Branding lessons from Kiss

In honor of Paul Stanley's 60th birthday.

1. Make sure your product is right

It took over three years and wasn't until they released their third album that Kiss finally found their sound with their signature song "Rock and Roll All Nite."

2. Be different

Yes they built on the success of artists like Alice Cooper, David Bowie and the New York Dolls, but no one would confuse Kiss, their make up and outfits, and their epic stage shows for any other band.

3. Get a great logo

No comment necessary.

4. Evolve, but don't change

Kiss certainly went through their ups and downs, but they managed to return to their core and find new ways to connect with new audiences through the years.

5. Don't be afraid to have people hate you

Great brands are polarizing. They have fans who love them and detractors who hate them. What they don't have are people who are ambivalent. If people just 'like' your brand, you're in trouble.



Happy birthday, Starchild.

2 comments:

  1. I HAVE NEVER READ ANYWHERE WHERE KISS STATES THEY WERE INFLUENCED BY DAVID BOWIE, GENE & PAUL HAVE ALWAYS STATED THE NEW YORK DOLLS, ALICE COOPER FOR THE LOOK, AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT THE BEATLES, LISTEN TO THE FIRST ALBUM EVEN DESTROYER... COMPARE THE COVER OF KISS TO MEET THE BEATLES, ALL BAND MEMBERS ARE FOR THE MOST PART PLACED THE SAME ON THE COVER... MULTIPLE LEAD SINGERS IN THE BAND, ALTERNATING LEAD SINGERS ON 1 SONG, AND THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF GREAT EXPECTATIONS ON DESTROYER, NAMED EACH MEMBER IE: PAUL SINGING THE SONG, YOU SEE WHAT HIS MOUTH CAN DO, ACE PLAYING THE GUITAR,YOU FEEL WHAT HIS HANDS CAN DO, ARE ALL ATTRIBUTED TO THE BEATLES...
    ACE'S GUITAR PLAYING AND SOLO'S ARE STRAIGHT FROM JIMMY PAGE... DAVID BOWIE IS GREAT, A TRUE LEGEND, A KISS INFLUENCE??? POSSIBLE, BUT NOT LIKELY, ATLEAST THIS FAN SINCE HEARING ALIVE! IN 1975, HAS NEVER HEARD BAND MEMBERS LIST HIM AS AN INFLUENCE...

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  2. Thanks for your comment. I never stated that KISS was influenced by Bowie. But without Bowie's pioneering work in Glam Rock, the world in which Kiss came to exist would have been very different.

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