Cousins?
KISS is brand, not a band. Sure, they’ve written some respectable anthems and metal riffs and invented the destructive rock stage production, but when you strip them down to the core – ordinary consumers really only remember the images: the logo, the products, the face paint. And like any great small business or brand, KISS had their floundering years – the “non-makeup era” from 1983-1996. You could say they sold out during those years, attempting to portray the notion that they were serious musicians – even though that’s when they made some of their best music.
KISS co-founder and Family Jewels star, Gene Simmons, was recently interviewed by a British journalist during his band’s warm-up for their 2010 European tour. Simmons has never been shy about his prime motivator (money) or strayed from embellishing his accomplishments (he “discovered” Van Halen) – it’s what a good marketer does. Currently, he’s involved in so many different business deals and partnerships, including capitalizing on KISS’ golden years, that his interviews can be used as lessons in business and marketing. While his recollections and answers are mostly repetitive (repetition = consistency), Simmons still portrays himself as the most transparent business person in Hollywood. He even once said, “I don’t even know what marketing is. Sales and marketing? What’s the difference?”
The focus of talks with Simmons these days is understandably about his reality show. But more often than not, they touch on technology, the web, communications, messaging, new methods of marketing, and how he handles them. Here’s what we can take away from the recent interview:
1) Organization (or, set a blogging schedule)
Interviewer: So just how do you keep on top of everything with all your various projects on the boil?
Gene: I do what Santa Claus does – I make a list, I check it twice. It’s all very organized. I need to spend time with my family and keep track of my projects and it’s all written down in order. I need to remind myself that Kiss is a brand, not a band.
Blog regularly to create fresh content and increase traffic for your website (you can even hire someone to maintain your blog and provide well-written and keyword-optimized web copy). I’m not saying you should keep a paper book like Gene, but don’t slack on your web efforts. Gene’s website is a mess and he doesn’t blog (he does tweet), but he probably never misses a meeting.
2) Is your Message Important? (or, is your message worthy of the hype?)
Interviewer: Do you have a full-time secretary?
Gene: I use a traditional diary with room for notes. The [portable web] means well, but it fails in that it treats [all] information exactly the same, when it’s not. “Blow up the world” is a big thing, [but] “clip your toenails” should be in small letters because they’re not the same value.
He makes a beautiful point here in that web users regularly struggle with (albeit subconsciously) balancing the steady stream of marketing messages they’re inundated with. A big mistake in many web marketing and social media campaigns is when matters of no importance, or of little interest, are meant to hold the same weight as the big exciting stuff. Being engaging is fine, but don’t waste your customers’ time.
3) Are your Emails Bogged Down by Words? (or, do you want the recipient to die in a fiery car crash while emailing and driving?)
Interviewer: Is modern technology important to you?
Gene: When you get an email with an attachment nobody reads it – they just skim. In my business where I deal with CEOs of companies – if Donald Trump sends me an email I want to understand what it says. For important stuff you need to consider it and digest it and that means a computer screen. So I sit down three times a day at a computer to digest and understand my emails. Other than that I use my traditional diary with a pen and lists.
It’s understandable that Gene wants to focus 100% on emails with Trump, his partner in megalomania and questionable hair. He’s The Donald, for crying out loud. We now know Gene likes pens, lists, papers. Mobile computing is a no-go for him for the important things. So, as a small business beefing up its web marketing you should figure out how to leverage the technological tools currently available. Should a social media campaign focus on blog posts and engagement? Or maybe a barrage of daily tweets or Facebook posts? The number one task should be to define your target audience. Part of this process is discovering which tools they’re using. Consult with a professional, if you need to. Trump and Gene are perfect for marketing to each other – both with their delusions of grandeur (that have obviously worked out well for them).
4) Be Direct. Be Transparent. (or, consumers are on to you – so stop playing games)
Interviewer: And do you still use an old fashioned telephone plugged into the wall?
Gene: I do have a mobile phone. Very few people use it but it’s called “the money phone.” You can reach me and if you have money you call. If you don’t, and you call up and say “hi Gene” you’ll get the reply “wrong number.” I don’t chat.
Wow. Just wow. Gene just summed up the company/customer relationship that’s existed for thousands of years in three sentences. In this case, we’ll say the people who “have money” are the companies – or the producers of products – and Gene is the customer. Consumers, audiences, your target market – they now fast-forward through commercials, stopped buying magazines, and barely listen to terrestrial radio. Can you help them? Can you provide a service they need? Can you solve a problem for them? Your market is not going to sit idle to “chat,” but they don’t mind being engaged with valuable content (in Gene’s case, money is the most valuable).
I swear, a series of web marketing and social media seminars can be developed on 40 years of Gene’s musings. Many of these ideas are mostly common sense, but Gene Simmons simplifies them, breaks them down, and rids them of the bull. As Van Halen’s David Lee Roth once said, “it’s not rocket surgery.” After all, Gene discovered him.
Josh Valentine is Chief Marketing Strategist at Promenade Media. He is also the upcoming President of the Maine Marketing Association and a lifelong KISS fan. His favorite KISS album is Revenge.
