I wanted to be in a band that gave bang for the buck.
I wanted to be in the band who didn't look like a bunch of guys who, you know, should be in a library studying for their finals
Gene Simmons of KISS
We've all probably heard of the K.I.S.S. principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid. I'd like to suggest a new version of that familiar axiom. I have admittedly struggled to make a more compelling acrostic than the original, but I think I'll land on Kick In Something Special. That really tells the story I want to talk about here.
If you were a boy growing up in the mid-seventies it's hard to imagine that you were not a fan of the band KISS. They had me hook, line and sinker. I honed some of my young artistic abilities drawing band members and the KISS logo. I played my Destroyer album until the vinyl almost turned white. And in sixth grade . . .
Yes, that's me in the middle as Peter Criss (with the rulers doubling for drumsticks). We were the last act to go on at the sixth grade talent show – and we rocked the house. Kids were chanting "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" while we setup behind the drawn curtain (complete with dry ice being fanned-in from just off-stage).
Say what you will about the band, but they have always been about kicking it up a notch (as illuminated in Gene's quote above). And I know, the cynic in us (OK, in me) says, "yeah, but it was only to make a buck." But it's actually more than that.
Gene Simmons may be a lot of things – but dumb ain't one of them. He has always been a keenly shrewd business man. He not only wanted to get merchandise to fans, he wanted a level of excellence they wouldn't find elsewhere. Gene knows that if you deliver a flawed product to your fans, then they will have no reason to keep coming back – and that is the key to the insane success of the KISS marketing machine.
KISS has over 2,500 licenses for the use of their image. Between 1977 and 1979 worldwide merchandise sales (in-store and on tour) reached an estimated $100 million – and that's in 1970's money! As an example of the Kick In Something Special idea, they were featured in their own comic book (in magazine format) produced by Marvel Comics in 1977 – but it was printed with ink that was mixed with samples of their real blood. I'm not kidding.
But my favorite example is a little-known story about bootleg albums. If you don't know, bootlegs albums were created from audience recordings during concerts. They were hugely popular at record shows and fetched insane prices. Due to the secretive nature with which these recordings had to be made, sound quality, as you can imagine, left a lot to be desired.
People were making a TON of money on KISS bootlegs (none of it going to the band of course) and the fans were getting inferior products, albeit rare ones. You can probably see where this is heading . . .
Enter the band, who secretly began making recordings of their own shows. But not just any recordings –recordings straight from the soundboard with infinitely superior quality to what was being done by audience members. To maintain the "allure" of an authentic bootleg, they never let on that they were the ones behind it. Instead of cracking down on these recordings as most other bands wanted to do, they made a boatload of money all the while providing their rabid fans with a quality product.
Personally, I love that story. And it has broader applications than KISS, music or even merchandising. In your efforts to excel, don't forget the fans of what you do. It may be your clients, your target audience – I'd venture to say it includes friends and family as well. You, your work, or your products or services have fans. They line the sides of the road that leads to success.
Take the time to really dissect what it is they want from you. How can you deliver in such a way that it fans the flames of their fandom. Do all you can to deliver – then Kick In Something Special.
Your fans are out there.
Behind the curtain.
Waiting for you to dazzle them.
Are they chanting your name?
Love this post! Great info and great pic of you and your friends. How fun that must have been! And, what cool parents, for supporting you as you rocked! Rock on, my friend. Rock on!
Posted by: Sonia Ardeel | June 20, 2009 at 08:50 AM
Thanks Sonia! It really was a hoot. I remember my best friend Ricky Boggess (pronounced "bogus") who was playing Ace Frehley turned to me right before the curtain went up and said: "This is what it's like to be a rockstar!"
Interestingly, we didn't have a drum set for me to pretend to play so I created a massive mural out of several pieces of poster board and drew the KISS logo on it. It was placed in front of where the drum set would have been and I banged away behind that. What a little creative improvisor I was!
And yes, our parents get BIG shout-outs for their great costume-making efforts and overall support.
Posted by: Todd Adkins | June 20, 2009 at 03:08 PM
I love, love, love this post. What a better way to approach the "leakage" they were experience than to get all hot-headed and roll out the lawyers. And, for my work, an excellent reminder that an insanely great idea is much more likely to happen when I think about what I can do...what I can control, instead of what others are doing...what is out of my control. Soupa-genius. (and, I gotta say, nice hip thurst you bad boy)
Posted by: Evan McBroom | June 23, 2009 at 07:29 AM