Is this the best, or worst, brand extension?

KISS Scratch & Win Lottery Ticket

When I saw this ticket yesterday I could not decide if it was the silliest, or smartest, brand extension that I'd ever seen. My initial reaction was that it was a bad idea. But then I stopped and thought about it.

Despite all of my other musical sins, I've never been a fan of KISS. With the exception of the sappy depths of Easy Listening and the annoying over-production of New Country, I'll listen to just about anything. But I never really got the point of KISS. The makeup and theatrics seemed to be making promises that the music could not keep.

However, KISS fans are loyal. When Paul Stanley played the Phantom in the LIVENT production of The Phantom of the Opera in Toronto, he breathed new life into ticket sales. People who would never think of going to musical theatre where lining up to buy tickets.

The demographics of the KISS audience are probably a pretty good fit with the average Scratch & Win ticket buyer. So, while I'm not a KISS fan, I'm also not a Scratch & Win ticket buyer. But plenty of people are both, and that is what keeps this sort of branding alive.

Makes we wonder what other bands might be a good fit for lottery tickets? And I also wonder who approached whom to sign this licensing deal?