Don’t hold it against me, but I grew up in the ‘80s. It was a time of over-the-top commercialism, Rubik’s Cubes, Reaganomics, Max Headroom, Nintendo, tight-rolled jeans, and…heavy metal. In the mid to late ‘80s, hair bands like Motley Crue, Poison, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, and many more ruled the radio and my life. Today, I’m only slightly embarrassed to admit that I loved every loud minute of it.
I loved waiting in line for concert tickets at four in the morning to try and score the best seats.
I loved hanging out in the parking lot before the show.
I loved the sound of thousands of people with their fists in the air, singing along to our favorite songs.
I also loved that my parents hated all of it. Sorry, Mom.
Fast forward 35 years or so, and here I am, a lot older, a little wiser, and if you ask my wife, a little hard of hearing. I’m also fresh off my latest gig (see what I did there?) where I spent the last 6 years as the Director of Marketing and Brand Development for NuVinAir®, a start-up that recently went through a successful acquisition. As I look back on all the lessons, mistakes, wins, losses, and growth that I experienced, I was suddenly Thunderstruck (sorry, I couldn’t resist) by how many of the things that made heavy metal music resonate with me all those years ago, were also some of the same principles that guided me in successfully building a brand from the ground up.
So, what could three chords, zebra-striped spandex pants, and a live fast, die young attitude possibly teach us about building a brand? Here are five rock-solid (sorry, I just can't help myself) rules to live by:
Consistency is Key
If you’ve heard one AC/DC song, you’ve heard them all, right? The same power chords, the same raspy voice, and the same schoolboy outfit. But what they lack in ingenuity, they make up for with a sound that’s consistent and instantly recognizable. Their formula works, they give their audience exactly what they want, and as a result, they have built one of the most loyal fan bases in rock.
Whether you’re building a brand from scratch or managing one that’s already up and running, it’s critical to never veer too far from the things that make it memorable. Is it a color? A font? The tone of the brand and the messaging that supports it? Yes, yes, and yes. The key is to know what those things are and protect their integrity as if your life depended on it.
But maintaining brand consistency across all your marketing channels can be easier said than done. Your boss’s random middle-of-the-night mind melts that turn into Monday morning priorities, the onslaught of other’s opinions, and flash-in-the-pan trends are your style guide’s mortal enemy. Ignore it long enough and your brand will run off the rails faster than you can say “Crazy Train.”
Keep it Simple Stupid (K.I.S.S.)
One of the great things about hair metal in the 80s is that you knew exactly what you were getting. Bands like Poison, Skid Row, and Van Halen never tried to convince their fans that they were anything other than what they were: Party bands that made me, along with millions of others, forget about school, work, and mundane life in the Midwest. Can you imagine what the response from fans would have been if they popped the new Warrant cassette into their tape deck and heard them trying to sound like Mozart? No thanks.
Instead, they kept their music straightforward, fun, and simple because that’s what their fans wanted and expected from them.
Sometimes brands try too hard. Instead of following the Keep it Simple Stupid rule, companies get caught up in trying to do too much, often with too little. Too little resources, too little strategy, too little understanding of their audience and what they really want. And what this usually leads to is a vicious cycle of prioritizing quantity over quality. If I had a dollar for every time someone said “You know what we need? We need more collateral, more social posts, more one-pagers, more pitch decks, more, more, more!” I’d be dirty rotten filthy stinking rich. Trust me, less is more.
So instead of always trying to reinvent the wheel, build a foundation around a few core marketing pieces that convey who you are and what you do better than your competition, stick with them, and K.I.S.S.
Speaking of Kiss…
Be Real (A Cautionary Tale)
Throughout the mid-1970s Kiss was one of the biggest bands in the world. Their face paint and explosive live shows transformed them into larger-than-life fire-breathing, blood-spitting superheroes. Simple anthems, genius marketing, and massive merchandising deals had the band rocking and rolling all night and partying every day – straight to the bank.
But then the 80’s arrived.
Following in the footsteps of Pink Floyd and the success of their album “The Wall”, Kiss decided to record their own concept album called “Music from the Elder”. Released in 1981, the record attempted to tell the story of a boy on a mission to save the world from darkness. It featured an orchestra and strings. The tracks were out of order on the album. The band even cut their hair! I mean, what could possibly go wrong? Oh, only everything.
The critics hated it, the fans hated it, and even the band hated it. Album sales tanked, tours were canceled, band members left, and the Kiss brand suffered immensely. They would spend years trying to recover from a completely avoidable mistake.
When brands try to be something they’re not, things usually go wrong. There’s a reason McDonalds® doesn’t sell surf and turf. It’s the same reason Apple® doesn’t sell recliners. It’s not who they are.
Sure, you can use ChatGPT to write your mission statement or ad copy. And yeah, you can make exaggerated claims about your products to secure a new client or customer base. But if it’s not real, your audience will see right through it, and eventually, your brand will suffer. So, if there’s one thing you can learn from Kiss (when is the last time someone said that?) here it is:
Know who you are and what you do well and embrace it. Be authentic and loyal to your customers and they’ll thank you with their wallets.
You Need a Hook
There’s a reason you belt out every word when you hear the chorus of Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” It has a great, memorable hook that’s so catchy, you’ll probably be humming it the rest of the day. You’re welcome.
I’ll never forget when the video was released back in 1984. The outfits, the lyrics, and the band’s in-your-face attitude combined to tell a story that grabbed a hold of my 12-year-old self and never let go. I had never seen or heard anything like it, and it didn’t matter what I wanted to do with my life. I was hooked.
When marketing your brand, it’s important to think about the hook. In an oversaturated market where every company is competing for consumer dollars, what’s going to make you stand out?
In his book Purple Cow, Seth Godin compares traditional marketing to dairy cows. When you first see one, it’s exciting. But after seeing a bunch of them over and over again, you quickly become bored, and the cows become invisible. But what if a purple cow suddenly appeared among the black and white cows? Yeah, that would be remarkable. And unforgettable.
My advice? Turn your brand into a purple cow. Be bold and take chances. Do you want people to be raving fans of your brand? Of course. But it’s ok if they’re not. You can’t please everyone and at the end of the day, at least the haters will still be talking about you. And in a world full of look-a-likes and let’s-play-it-safe marketing approaches, I’d rather be a Twisted Sister than a Crystal Knight. Wait. Who?
Exactly.
Stay Hungry
So, if video killed the radio star, what killed hair metal? That’s easy.
In the early 80s when heavy metal was fighting for radio airplay and record-industry respect, LA’s Sunset Strip was THE place to be. Night after night, bands would play two, three, or even four shows at small clubs like the Rainbow, Whiskey-A-Go-Go, or the Roxy grinding it out, hoping to get noticed and land that elusive record deal. It was sleazy, sweaty, low-paying, and extremely competitive. With so many bands battling it out for stage time and attention, they had to work hard, pay their dues, write good songs, and bring their a-game every single night. If they didn’t, there was always another band waiting to take their spot.
But then something extraordinary happened. Bands like Quiet Riot and Ratt hit it big on MTV and suddenly, hair metal bands were in high demand. Instead of only signing the most talented groups, record labels were signing EVERYONE. If you had big hair and a good-looking singer, you got a deal.
But remember those dairy cows?
The music landscape was flooded with cookie-cutter bands that looked the same and sounded the same. It became harder and harder to tell the difference between a Britny Fox and a White Tiger. Bands weren’t trying to get better or stand out and fans got bored. It was prime time for a purple cow.
Hello, Nirvana.
Hone your chops. Challenge yourself to get better every day and look for ways to push yourself outside of your creative comfort zone. For me, that means catching up with the new generative AI trend. But whatever it is for you, remember, there’s a difference between being confident and being comfortable, and remind yourself that there’s always someone looking to take your spot. It’s ok to have a swagger as long as you stay hungry.