Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn from the Most Iconic Band in History

WWJD - What Would Jerry Do?

It's no surprise that a key to innovation is rejecting conventional wisdom. And innovation thrives in many businesses, particularly those in the technology space. But whether in silicon valley or silicon alley, marketing is still largely done in the same way it has for decades. Companies hire PR firms who push out press releases, while marketers post product info to web sites and create factsheets for their sales staff. Marketers may dabble with new approaches, sticking a toe into the social media space by creating a Facebook fan page or setting up an official Twitter account, but even then most apply old approaches to new platforms. Knowledge is shared through boring white papers which sit behind a registration wall while Twitter accounts push out links to bland press releases or staid marketing messages. When it comes to breaking the rules of marketing and rejecting conventional wisdom, David Meerman Scott (literally) has written the book. And now, he's joined together with HubSpot CEO Brian Halligan to author a new book, Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead. In this new book, David and Brian take a look back at how the Dead worked to develop and nurture an active community of fans, then show how to apply many of those same techniques to today's marketing platforms. For example: Rethink traditional industry assumptions - Rather than focus on record albums as a primary revenue source (with touring to support album sales), the Dead created a business model focused on touring. Bypass accepted channels and go direct - The Grateful Dead created a mailing list in the early 1970s where they announced tours to fans first. Later,they established their own ticketing office, providing the most loyal fans with the best seats in the house. The book is a quick read, but packs many tangible examples of how companies are building communities of fans, leveraging social media and bypassing middlemen in order to build their business. Highly recommended. Read more