NEW YORK — As a band, KISS has long been known for its outrageous costumes and explosive stage shows. Now the hard-core glam rockers hope they’ll be known not only for their makeup but also for their new pair of fragrances, which are due on 2,000 department store counters this September.
“The idea was to use iconic images and the logo of the band to represent a lifestyle choice and attitude rather than an affiliation to the rock band,” said KISS guitarist Paul Stanley. “It isn’t a fragrance for fans of the band exclusively. It’s about being a free thinker who blazes their own path and lives life according to their own rules realizing that there is no rehearsal for life.”
Stanley said the band members made sure not to tie the fragrances too closely to their namesake — unlike what’s done in many licensing deals — because they worried about conveying the wrong message. The band members didn’t want consumers thinking that if they don’t like the band, they wouldn’t like the fragrances.
“The band is a double-edged sword that can work for and against you,” said Stanley. “If you focus too much of your attention on your fans, you might be excluding others by default. So you don’t want to preach to the choir and lose the congregation.”
KISS’ merchandise and licensing representatives at Signatures Network, who have handled KISS for the past 20 years and helped transform the band into a billion-dollar franchise, inked a licensing deal with Gemini Cosmetics in February for fragrances.
KISS mania, which started more than three decades ago, has flooded the marketplace with over 500 products and about 70 licenses worldwide — everything from comic books to slot machines to action figures to wine. According to Dell Furano, Signatures chief executive officer, KISS merchandise has sold $500 million at retail over the last 25 years, $20 million of it last year.
Neil Katz, Gemini president and ceo, said he was attracted to the KISS brand when he found out that 95 percent of the merchandise was sold everywhere, from high-end fashion stores to music stores and souvenir stores, and not at concerts.
“After 30 years of being on the rock circuit, KISS as a logo is one of the most recognized in the world,” said Katz. “That’s why I call it a brand, not a band.”
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For KISS, it wasn’t about “a quick deal.” In fact, Stanley believes the brand can be just as strong without a viable band. The idea of branching out into the beauty realm seemed like the next natural step, and the band members are excited about the prospect of broadening their base.
“The wider we go beyond music, the happier I am. My rent’s paid for the rest of my life,” said Stanley. “It’s about believing in something, and the quality, viability and class. These fragrances are not a gimmick.”
Industry sources estimate the KISS fragrances will bring in about $30 million at wholesale the first year. The advertising and promotions budget during the four-month period will be approximately $15 million.
The fragrances’ packaging is just what you would expect, given KISS’ popular image — both provocative and imaginative. Katz describes it as “sleek and powerful, with sensual images; something for those who want to release their inhibitions and have fun.” KISS Him is packaged in a black frosted bottle with the KISS logo emblazed in flames; KISS Her is packaged in a translucent glass bottle with a black KISS logo.
The men’s and women’s fragrances will be available in a 3.4-oz. bottle for $49 and a 1.7-oz. bottle for $39. Though the advertising campaign and packaging won’t feature band members’ faces, the bottle images will incorporate the famous masked makeup look with their starman and demon personas.
Though the fragrances were designed to be commercially viable, these scents will “make a bold statement,” Stanley said. “In actuality, the people willing to step outside that so-called box are not the silent majority. What people perceive as the straight-laced norm is small. Products that push the perceived envelope wind up catering to the masses,” said Stanley.
The KISS fragrance targets consumers ages 18 to 24 and 40 to 55, everyone from original KISS aficionados to KISS item collectors to those still discovering the brand. Testing showed that 75 percent of the fragrance users are between the ages of 18 and 24. Gemini was surprised to find that there was an equal appeal for both men and women.
Stanley describes KISS Her as having a lush, “floriental” scent. “I find it a real turn-on — it’s very feminine without being frilly,” he said, adding that his wife wears the fragrance. “When I smell more women wearing KISS Her, my head will be turning to a point I need a brace. It’s very sexy, flirtatious and very hot. It takes a certain kind of person — one with a little wildness waiting to come out.”
Created by International Flavors & Fragrances Inc., the eau de parfum spray features top notes of apple-tini, wet fig leaves, racy bull accord and red peppercorns; middle notes of red poppy, black orchid, sueded frangipani petals and calla lily, and base notes of amber crystals, musky bare skin accord, patent leather and mahogany.
Stanley said KISS Him is a spicy warm scent with “a bite to it. In essence, it’s a high-testosterone cologne.” He even admits he’s shelved his own fragrance favorites of 30 years — Creed Royal Water and Karl Lagerfeld — to sport his new scent.
Developed by Fragrance Resources, the cologne is composed of top notes of bergamot, white pepper, anise and black cumin; middle notes of lavender, cypress, dark rum and fir balsam, and base notes of sandalwood, tonka, moss and honeyed amber crystals.
Along with the fragrance launch, a line of ancillary products will be released: for men, a hair and body wash, face soother, deodorant stick and body spray; for women, a shower gel, body lotion and bath splash. The advertising campaign, created by Averett Free Ginsberg, will include TV and print. The message contains a bit of romantic mysticism, featuring a faded masked face with the well-known saying, “You’ll never forget your first … ” followed by the band’s logo and the tag line “fragrance made for lovin’ you.” Print advertising will break with scent strips in October men’s, women’s and celebrity books such as CosmoGirl, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, In Touch, FHM, GQ and Playboy, and TV advertising will break around October. Promotional events will include a sampling campaign with everything from Venetian KISS masks to blotter cards, scented tattoos, stickers and car fresheners. There will be over 60 college campus sampling events, and possibly signed music memorabilia, in-store giveaways and in-store appearances.
KISS plans four Japanese shows in July, and by fall, Stanley hopes to release his second solo album since 1978, “Live to Win.” A summer U.S. tour is also possible.
KISS has already generated a buzz among retailers. Jon Pollack, executive vice president and general manager of Belk, said Gemini did a good job of capturing the spirit of KISS and translating it to department stores. He believes that the fragrance not only has “staying power,” but has a shot to be one of the top 10 fragrances this year.
“It’s a classy approach to the whole project, which visually is very stunning in-store. Even if you take the KISS name off, it’s a strong visual presentation and fragrance that will cut through the clutter and resonate with consumers,” said Pollack.
He’s excited about in-store opportunities and believes the fragrance will generate lots of counter activity with sampling promotions, like the scented masks, and in-store theatrics.
“It’s something you can have fun with, and customers are going to respond to the entertainment factor. Since it’s so different and entertaining, it’ll get a first trial,” said Pollack. “Based on research we’ve done, great bands of this era [Seventies] are actually as big as they’ve ever been.”