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The Brains Behind The KISS Marketing Machine
”Be clear. Be truthful. Stand there proudly, unapologetically, unabashedly , and say, ‘I love cash. It will get me everything I want in life.’” 
— Gene Simmons, KISS, author of “Sex, Money, Kiss”
And for the record, he’s right about the cash. Who is Gene Simmons? You know, the lead guitarist of the 70’s rock band KISS? The guy with the dragon boots? The guy who spit fire?
I would say ‘The guy with the tongue’, but frankly I find that vaguely unsettling to say . . . as a guy.
Season Two of his hit series “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” premiered on A&E Sunday night. On the surface, it’s a bit like the Osborne reality series but smarter, funnier and without all the cursing, vomiting, screaming obscenities and self-destructive personalities careening about the screen like drunken pinballs.
No, it’s the pleasure of watching a master businessman . . . shrewd strategist . . . and marketing genius at work. He’s one of the sharpest businessmen I’ve ever seen. A businessman worthy of study as much as Trump, Dell or Gates.
Hence, the reason I watch. ‘Natch.
If you missed it, then program your TiVo to get a weekly entertaining (and heartwarming) life lesson in the power of sales and marketing.
I kid you not.
$70M Per Year In Absentia. . . and Counting
Last season The Redhead and I had a standing appointment and never missed an episode. I think she sees a lot of herself in Shannon Tweed’s frustrations and challenges in dealing with a successful, head-strong creative male.
Don’t know where she gets that, but there it is.
Me . . . first of all, I’m an unabashed fan, but not of the music. It’s okay, but I’m a fan of the business mind, the marketing mind behind KISS and I love applying his lessons on how to leverage that into personal success.
So why is Simmons is worthy of study? Because of this fact that most people don’t know: Simmons is the reason why KISS owns the merchandising arm of their business, a historical first for any rock band because the record company usually snatches up those rights pretty quick. He’s the reason why they still sell over $70M of merchandise a year and they haven’t toured nor released an album in over 5 years.
Name another rock band that plays at that level. Heck, name any business that can do that. And in his book, “Sex, Money, KISS” he reveals how he accomplished that.
Spawn Of Playmate & Demon
It made me wonder why MTV didn’t pick the show up. After all, the Osbornes were such a huge hit for them. Why didn’t they snatch this show up? And how in the world did it end up on the A&E channel, of all places? I would have loved to be in the pitch meeting for that!
Say what you will about Simmons, but his show has more heartwarming affection and more core family values on display than any 20 hours of primetime programming . . . combined. In fact, the kids are so well-balanced that you’d think they grew up down the street and are not the children of a Playboy Playmate and the most lovably-notorious bass guitarist in rock history.
I think the show was (and is) too wholesome for MTV. The family is tight-knit, successful, non-destructive and they all really love and respect each other. Come to think of it, I can see exactly why MTV passed.
Given all that, for all of Simmons’ legendary prowess (real or hyped), he is a marketing genius — and I never use the term lightly.
Tell me, if your company quit producing new products and services — would it still be thriving 5 years later? What does Simmons know that you do not, and more importantly — how do you apply it?
As I make my transition to the new 21st century model of copywriting (an upcoming post), I’ve pulled down my dog-eared, Post-It-flagged, rainbow-highlighted copy of his book and am feverishly applying what he learned.
To have all the how-to’s revealed for you, make sure you snag a copy of his book “Sex, Money, Kiss”. It’s really a sales and marketing study and not some lurid backstage rock book. Business schools could do worse than putting on their required reading lists.
Hmmm . . . “Walter Terry, Copy God” has a nice ring to it . . .
By Walter |
Topics: Client Top Secret, It's A Good Thing, Pro Analysis |