Brands come and brands go. We’ve seen the business cycle get shorter and shorter in past decades (Facebook’s 10-year reign seems like a lifetime) and it makes it harder and harder to carve out a lasting niche for yourself. What’s the use, entrepreneurs wonder, if their brand will be yesterday’s news almost as soon as they’ve started building it?
It’s rare to see anyone break the endless cycle of launches that end in immediate obscurity. That’s why the hard rock band Kiss’ 40th anniversary is so impressive.
Yes, there are important business lessons to be learned everywhere, even when they involve levitating drum sets and strapped leather outfits. Kiss . . . has something special.
Their success defies logic. Most rock bands from the 70s are long gone, but Kiss just keeps getting stronger. They’ve sold more than 100 million records and have the most gold albums of any American rock band—ever.
So what’s their secret? And more importantly, how can we apply that secret to keep our businesses and brands from getting run over by the next fresh crop of entrepreneurs?
The answer: it’s all about identity.
Svenska: Det här är en bild av Gene Simmons oc…
Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, KISS in Stockholm. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I stumbled across the secret in an interview that Kiss bassist/vocalist did for The Toronto Sun. “A long time ago we decided not to try to be everything to everybody,” Simmons is quoted as saying, in response to a question about the band’s incredible longevity. “What we are is what we are . . . We’re a showy band that plays non-showy music.”
Kiss found their identity early on in the band’s life and decided to nurture it. They’re a “. . . showy band that plays non-showy music,” and they’re okay with that. If they weren’t, there’s no way Gene Simmons would still be running around in high heels—gimmicks don’t last that long.
Their identity is strong because it is built on what the band is, not where they sit in relation to other musicians. They know that the only thing that they can control is their contribution to the market, not the entirety of the market itself. Instead of trying to beat the competition, they devote all of their energy to putting on a show and producing the best musical product that they can.
Whether the members of Kiss knew this when they were getting started is unclear. But what is clear is that while the bands defined by their place in the market have come and gone, Kiss has always persevered. They’ve become one of the landmarks of the music world, a band by which other musicians can measure themselves. They’re like Ford or Microsoft MSFT -0.9%, shaping the market instead of being shaped by it.
It’s working for them. Here’s how that applies to you:
When you define your brand in terms of the market that it’s in, you doom it to eventual obsolescence. Markets change, after all! Are you the cheapest? Someone will figure out how to do it cheaper. The fastest? Someone will become faster. The most luxurious? Someone will find a way to squeeze even more caviar into that private amphibious rocket ship. The branding rat race is a losing game.
However, when you define your brand by the things that make it unique instead of focusing on where it sits in the market, you’re laying the groundwork for something real and long-lasting. As people get to know you, and what makes your brand stand apart, they start to care about what you do. You start to attract the kind of customers that you want—the kind that will still be coming to your shows in 40 years, the kind that will eventually be buying those Kiss-themed caskets for their grandparents.
And if your brand’s identity can stand on its own, no one will ever be able to beat you at it. There’s never going to be a band that can say, “We’re more like Kiss than Kiss is!” They might be louder, faster, flashier, younger, sexier, etc., but it doesn’t matter—they’ll never beat Kiss at being themselves.
Don’t get me wrong—speed, price point, value, quality, etc., are all important. You can’t just ignore the marketplace, set out what you have to offer, and experience instant success. Pay attention to all of those things when you’re designing your offer.
But a price point is not a brand. If you want to build a success story the way that Kiss has, then you’ll need to have something more. Your brand needs to have a unique, compelling identity at its core, something that can sustain it for the years ahead. You need something both timeless and compelling, like “. . . a showy band that plays non-showy music.”
Find that, and your brand will still be strutting around on stage in 40 years with wild makeup and four-inch heels.