Strategies Similar

But simplicity doesn’t mean absence of strategy, nor does it mean anything less than precise execution.

“We always envisioned ourselves playing to huge audiences,” explains Simmons in an interview on VH1’s KISS: Beyond the Makeup.

Stanley adds, “We wanted to look like the band we never saw, sound like the band we never heard. We wanted to be the ultimate combination of all the things we loved.” KISS’s simple strategy was executed with such distinction that since 1972 it has sold more than 80 million records and is the music industry’s all time merchandising and licensing leader with over a billion dollars in revenue-half of that generated in the past five years. Its merchandise portfolio includes 2,500 licensed products sold around the world.

Never conclude that the strategy you are about to see unfold is just about the brand power of a winning rock band. KISS made the transition from fledgling to icon with the aid of a host of strategies from which entrepreneurs, marketing managers, and retailers looking to enhance the shopping experience in their stores can learn. The KISS saga focuses on: S Building a fan base by capturing markets competitors deem secondary S Capturing a unique position in the market by developing the entertainment value of your product experience S Developing a two way relationship with customers that not only lets you connect to fans but lets fans connect to you S Creating a vehicle for your customers to participate in and live your brand S Creating and licensing a brand to expand global reach and adoption.

In fact, KISS flourished with strategies similar to those employed by many great organizations, including the largest corporation in the world. Both KISS and Wal Mart demonstrate that sound marketing, product, and customer satisfaction strategies build market share and that brilliant execution of those strategies throughout the channel maintains it. While the execution-and perhaps the values of the organization-may be different from those of other businesses, the strategic nature of KISS branding remains the same for dominant firms of any kind.