Before I knew what marketing was.
Before I understood image, positioning, or identity.
Before anyone ever said the word branding to me…

There was KISS.

“KISS — that’s the name! KISS — they may look insane!”

And yeah… they did.
And that was the point.

Totem Lens — The Builder

As I talk about in the book (see Branded for Life), KISS didn’t just influence my taste in music — they set a standard.

A standard for:

• Visual identity
• Commitment to character
• Going all-in instead of halfway
• Turning imagination into a world, not just a product

The makeup.
The logos.
The costumes.
The stagecraft.

Nothing was accidental. Nothing was shy. Nothing asked for permission.

KISS didn’t just play rock and roll.
They constructed an empire around it.

And somewhere along the line, without realizing it, I absorbed that lesson.

The Brand Becomes a Blueprint

Those KISS figures on my shelf?
They aren’t just band merch.

They’re reminders that:

• Identity can be designed
• Presence matters
• Consistency builds trust
• And spectacle isn’t shallow when it’s intentional

Long before I ever ran a business, designed a brand, or built creative platforms, KISS had already taught me the fundamentals.

Be bold.
Be recognizable.
Be unapologetic.

If you’re going to do something — commit.

When the Brand Ages — and the Totem Evolves

Time changes everything. Even gods in greasepaint.

In recent years, the KISS universe has shifted into reflection mode — conversations, controversies, nostalgia, and legacy all colliding at once. There’s been no shortage of online noise, including Gene Simmons stirring strong reactions with his blunt takes, and renewed attention around Ace Frehley’s place in the story — what he meant, what he still represents, and how people process the idea of loss even when the legacy itself remains alive and loud.

Meanwhile, Peter Criss continuing to release new creative work is its own quiet reminder: the spark doesn’t belong to an era — it belongs to the individual willing to keep expressing it.

That’s the deeper totem lesson.

Brands age.
Icons fracture.
Narratives get messy.

But the signal still transmits.

Transcend Bridge — This Isn’t About KISS

This isn’t about rock bands.
It’s about early imprinting.

The brands that shape us before we know we’re being shaped don’t just sell us products — they hand us models for how to move through the world.

KISS taught me that:

• You can invent yourself
• You can amplify what makes you different
• You don’t need universal approval to build something meaningful

That’s branding at the soul level.

Shadow Side (Owned, Not Ignored)

When branding works too well, it can trap people in someone else’s mythology.

The lesson isn’t to worship the brand forever —
It’s to extract the blueprint and use it to build your own thing.

Totems are teachers. Not cages.

Spark Action

Ask yourself today:

Which brand shaped me before I knew what branding was — and what did it teach me to value?

Then ask the harder question:

Am I still living by those values — or just displaying the logo?

That answer matters.

Thanks for joining me on this never ending journey of recapturing the moment, memories and feelings.

Now, Go Play!

Jim
01/07/2026

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