was the scary-looking rock band that played during the closing ceremonies of the 2002 Olympic Games. The bandmates admittedly are not the best musicians to enter the world of rock and roll, but their success was not dumb luck-it was the result of strategic planning and marketing at its finest. The more KISS frightened parents and other "normal" people with its appearance and antics, the bigger its fan base became, and the more its fans adopted the band into their lifestyles. But KISS found itself in a dilemma early on in its career-on one     hand, it would sell out midsized arenas and venues, but on the other, it couldnt sell records. In quasi-focus group fashion, fans told the band that they loved the experience of a KISS concert. They paid to experience the ultimate escape, not to sit idly and listen to KISS music. In an effort to package the KISS experience, the band decided to record and release a double live album, which many producers thought to be the kiss of death at the time. Breaking the record indus- trys traditional mind-set, the band decided to forgo high sound qual- ity and go for concert-quality sound, which included pyrotechnics and fireworks. Chapter 4 discusses the strategies KISS used to amass fans and satisfy them, which are uncannily similar to those that have made Wal-Mart the worlds largest corporation and allowed home improvement retailer Lowes to take on and beat Home Depots urban store strategy. Gene Simmons and Sam Walton-birds of a feather? In some ways, yes-and some of those ways have led to sales of over 75 million albums to date for KISS and revenue of a quarter-trillion dollars for Wal-Mart.     The Rolling Stones   Amid the British invasion of rock and roll in the 1960s, the Rolling Stones hit the United States with a vengeance. Armed with Keith Richards legendary guitar riffs and Mick Jaggers unconventional sex appeal and throaty voice, the Stones took their place in American pop culture and havent relinquished it yet. In fact, "Satisfaction" has become the unofficial anthem for baby boomers, with dozens of other Stones songs comprising stereotypical baby-boomer life soundtracks. At 60, Jagger released a solo album, Goddess in the Doorway, to keep his creative juices flowing and to stay relevant among younger audi- ences by pairing up with contemporary rock talents, from Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20 to Lenny Kravitz. Jagger is at his best, however, when piloting the Rolling Stones, with Richards flying right seat. The bands 2002-2003 Forty Licks world tour is prototypical of what any firm seeking to keep a 40-year- old brand dominant in the marketplace should do. From pricing, cobranding, and promotional strategies to enhancing emotional connections, Chapter 5 shows how the band imposes its corporate     goals and measures to manage a wildly creative process and create a unique experience that people will pay big bucks to see. With a reported net worth of over $500 million, Jagger is at the top of his game, both as rock star and "chairman of the board" of the corpora- tion called