Jimmy Buffett will take his brand to a new city when he adds a third Margaritville Casino Resort to his growing chain. The new one in Bossier City, LA joins existing ones in Las Vegas and Biloxi. The new Margaritaville will contain Jimmy’s new “Five O’Clock Somewhere” bar. It never ceases to impress and amaze me how Jimmy has expertly turned his natural personality and his one major hit into a massive money-making brand. While the “Business Lessons from Buffett” post could be the foundation for another book, here are three core lessons to take away:
1. Make sure everything you do reflects what your fans expect from you. Everything Jimmy does is perfectly in tune with his laid back Key West beach bum image.
2. Extend your brand only in directions that make sense to your customers. Casinos and bars make sense. And while putting his Landshark Lager name on an outdoor football stadium in Miami made sense, it wouldn’t make any sense to put it on a hockey arena in Boston.
3. Always take credit for everything that is yours. You won’t find a single Buffett property without his name on it. It isn’t just Margaritaville restaurant, it is Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant.
KISS are nearly as impressive as Buffett, although their approach has been to simply put their name on everything from dolls to lunch boxes to condoms and even coffins. Now they are unveiling the new KISS “Hotter Than Hell” wedding chapel in Las Vegas. The chapel opens in March, and Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are confirmed as guests for the special first wedding. The KISS marketing strategy is a little different from Buffett’s. Here are three cool take away lessons from KISS:
1. Get their attention first. They’ve been doing outrageous attention-getting things since day one, and they continue to do so. KISS continues to get our attention by doing remarkable things, like opening a wedding chapel in Las Vegas.
2. Make a personal investment. Gene and Paul will be there at the first wedding. They were pioneers of the concept of selling VIP tickets to concerts that included a chance to meet the band. Not much happens in the KISS world without the personal approval and participation of the key people in the band.
3. Always take credit for everything that is yours. Same as the Jimmy Buffett lesson. Gene Simmons doesn’t star in Family Jewels, he stars in Gene Simmons’ Family Jewels. The new wedding chapel isn’t the Hotter Than Hell Wedding Chapel, it is the KISS Hotter Than Hell Wedding Chapel.
Have you downloaded the free ebook Musical Compaion to Brand Like A Rock Star? It is the #5 Marketing book in the free Kindle store.
Purchase the paperback version of Brand Like A Rock Star or download the digital edition instantly from Amazon.
To keep in touch, you can also join the discussion on the Facebook page and http://twitter.com/rockstarbrands.
Photograph of Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Restaraunt in Grand Cayman, taken by Steve Jones.
One Response to “Six Key Branding Lessons From Buffett and KISS”
I very glad to find this site on bing, just what I was searching for.