What’s On Your Bucket List?

It’s a bit of a mystery how the term “bucket list” came to be a part of our everyday jargon.  Some trace it back to the 2007 movie of the same name, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.

Slate writer Gabriel Bouys believes it actually originated a few years earlier in the book titled Unfair & Unbalanced: The Lunatic Magniloquence of Henry E. Panky by Patrick M. Carlisle.  Suffice it to say, neither did I read that book nor did I see the movie.

Simply stated, it’s a list many people make of the thing they absolutely positively want to do before they die – “kick the bucket,” as it were.  Some of us are more obsessive than others about checking off these boxes on our special lifetime to-do lists.  It will probably come as no surprise to you that Stanford University’s School of Medicine believes 90% of us have a personal “bucket list.”

I know some people like former Greater Media/Beasley GM Dan Finn who recently told me he simply wants to visit all 50 states.  (Wonder if he’s now including Canada and Greenland on his list.)

My cousin, Wendy Brown, just completed walking in half marathons in all 50 states.  As you can imagine, it took several years for her to finish that truly challenging “bucket list” goal, but she did it.  On her final race, a group got together to celebrate this impressive accomplishment.

I was surprised how many people chose the exact same “bucket list” task, but that speaks to just how many of us are thinking along those lines.

For others, the goal may be specific to seeing an artist play in concert, such as Taylor Swift or the Stones.  Or maybe there’s a sports theme—like how Detroit Lions fans want to see their team one day play in the Super Bowl before they die.  (Hey, Cleveland Browns fans – you, too?)

By the way, I am not one of them.  Despite being in the “70 Club,” I do not have a list of countries or landmarks I must see before my travel days are over.  But that’s me.  I suspect most of you have such a list, either committed to writing (or the cloud) or something that’s simply indelibly etched in your brain.

The fantasy concept was turbocharged during COVID, especially during that period when we simply did not know when the pandemic would fade, ebb, or end.  My sense is that many of those “bucket list” items became more meaningful after collectively living through an event like COVID.  For many, these goals became not only more vivid, but also more tempting to achieve.  People seem willing to spend more money in order to experience long-standing goals.

That may be why the marketing emphasis the past few years have been on chasing these “experiential” markers – vacations, concerts, sporting events, and personal milestones.  A (sponsored) article in Inside Radio from PQ Media makes the case for experiential especially in the aftermath of COVID.

Dollars are shifting back in this direction since the end of the pandemic.  Pre-social distancing, the worldwide market is nearly $122 billion.  Last year, it topped an estimate $128 billion – a nice gain.

If we think about this market as both B2B and B2C, it’s the latter getting the lion’s share of the experiential pie—nearly $82 billion in 2023—including consumer event sponsorships, an area many radio companies are already proficient at.

But it’s one thing to show up with a booth at a popular event.  It’s another to create an experience worthy of “bucket list” status.  Those are the moments people will be buzzing about—prominently on their socials and incessantly via word-of-mouth to friends, family, and co-workers.

Leave that arena to the truly great marketers.  And when you think about rock n’ roll celebrities who are in a class all their own, only one comes to mind:

Gene Simmons of KISS fame

Years ago, we connected with marketer Michael Brandvold, the guy who helped create and launch many of KISS’s amazing strategies over the years.  Michael talks about these experiences on a website, My Kiss Life, that tracks his formative years with the band, including managing their official website, KISSOnline.com, for seven years.

KISS marketing was always a mashup of brilliance, audacity, and outrage – qualities that served the brand well.  When KISS announced last year they would no longer be touring, the hype was just beginning.

In November, they’re rolling out a “fan festival” weekend in Vegas at the Virgin Hotel, celebrating the golden anniversary of their famous membership club, the KISS Army.  It’s appropriately being called “KISS Army Storms Vegas,” and you can read all about this experiential extravaganza here.  The emphasis—not surprisingly—is on “choosing your experience,” and the packages are priced appropriately.

But it doesn’t end with this “lost weekend” in Vegas.  It was announced last year that KISS is creating their version of virtual live concerts, similar to what ABBA has successfully built in London.  The “Voyage” shows are hologram and special effects-heavy, using a young version of the ABBA quartet.  I blogged about this concept back in 2023.

Last year, Forbes extensively covered this new KISS experiential venture, put together by the Swedish events outfit, Pophouse, which produced ABBA’s “Voyage.”  According to Forbes, the KISS version is expected to debut “somewhere in America in 2027.”

If you’re concerned about whether you’re still going to be around for that event, not to worry—Gene Simmons is offering a unique experience to you right now.

According to Consequence, you can be Gene’s “personal assistant and roadie for a day” on his upcoming solo tour.  And the price you’ll have to pay in order to experience this “bucket list” event in your life?

$12,495

(Yes, I would love to know the logic behind how they priced it.)

Now before you start laughing hysterically, consider the fine print:

• The “job” is available to only one person per concert date.  And that person can bring one guest
• Gene’s assistant/roadie will be part of the “Gene Simmons Band Team Crew” for the entire day
• There will be a pre-meeting at the hotel with Gene to review the day’s plan
• A meal with Gene at the hotel/concert venue
• Participate in the load-in
• Sit in on the soundcheck
• Hang out backstage
• Make an appearance onstage, introduced by Gene
• Merch items include a signed setlist, a VIP backstage laminate, crew hat/short, and a signed Gene Simmons bass guitar used at the soundcheck

Ripoff?  Or a once-in-a-lifetime “bucket list” experience?  I guess it depends on you and what KISS means to you.

But is Simmons onto something?  Are we likely to see similar experiential packages pop up for a wide range of performers, classic and current?

As Simmons explained the concept to the New York Post, he channeled his younger self in putting together this fantasy:

“When I was a kid and went to see shows, I was always curious, ‘What’s it like when they’re in a hotel? What’s it like when the stage is set up? What’s it like being onstage when they’re performing and seeing the audience from the stage?’”

This opportunity speaks to all those questions.  And while many of you reading this blog post have spent untold hours waiting around backstage at concerts, most of your listeners have not enjoyed these moments outside of rushed “meet & greets” where you’re lucky to spend 30-seconds with the artist or group.

As Simmons thought it through, it sounded like it was worth a shot.  It will be fascinating to learn whether fans fork over the money to work as Simmons’ assistant roadie:

“I decided, ‘You know what, nobody’s ever done it. Why not open the idea to be my personal roadie for the day?’”

He’s right, of course.  And given his successful track record as a marketer extraordinaire, I wouldn’t bet against Simmons.  The story already went viral when it was announced fans would have to pay Simmons thousands of dollars for the chance to work for him.  He’s already ahead of the game.

The tour begins Thursday in Anaheim.  Tickets are available here.

And if you think that’s where the “experiential” ends for this post, think again.  Why couldn’t something like this work for the stations whose brands are still strong, their staffs are (mostly) intact, and they could easily create “bucket list” experiences for fans.

A music station would give the “staffer for a day” a seat at the table in a jock meeting/music meeting, a ride in the van to a station event (yes, they would “work it”), the full wardrobe of station swag, an hour show on Sunday night, and sit in with the personality of their choice for an hour (and do a live break or commercial).

On a news or sports station, the “job duties” would be different, but would include going out to cover a news or sports story, attend an event (press conference, sporting event), etc.

I’m sure you creative marketers can think of other perks that cost very little or not at all but that would be meaningful to your biggest fans.

But would anybody actually pay for the privilege of being on the station staff for a day?  Probably not Gene Simmons money.  But for a reasonable price, why not?  (And to cover all bases, donate a portion of the fee to the station’s charity or cause of choice.)

Financially, this experiential event isn’t going to make or break your year.  But you might learn something about your audience, and it could open up the door to creating similar “bucket list” moments.

This initiative might also help differentiate your station brand, strengthen your connection to the audience and the community, while racking up some nice social media moments.

Who knows?  Your station could end up on a lot of local “bucket lists.”