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

This was a weird weekend; by 10:00 AM Friday, I had received a copy of Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead in the mail, and had borrowed a "Fast Read" copy of Jonathan Kellerman's latest Alex Delaware mystery, Deception, at the library.

I read a little of each on the way home. Both books engaged me on the first page, as books by David Meerman Scott and Jonathan Kellerman tend to be. Both quickly "hooked" my interest.

However, faced with the choice of what to read, I finished Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead first. I became engrossed in the back story, or explanation, of the reasons a rock group I had long observed took the steps it did, and how it benefited their career and solidified their position.

It helped that I also resonated with the author's first-hand stories of attending numerous Grateful Dead concerts and visiting the Grateful Dead Archive at the University of California at Santa Cruz. The photographs provided atmosphere, the anecdotes provided story, and the book's tight writing and strong organization contributed to a "high momentum" and fascinating reading experience...a "high-momentum page-turner" that teaches fundamental marketing lessons and values.

Because the ideas come through so clearly, Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead begs the question: "Why doesn't every business act like the Grateful Dead?" Why don't all businesses "Put Fans in the Front Row?" Why don't all businesses "Embrace Technology" and "Cut Out the Middleman?" Why don't all businesses "Bring People on an Odyssey?"

The lessons are obvious, and--most important--they are reinforced with concrete examples of how other other businesses far removed from rock and roll have profited from the same marketing ideas. Sidebars and summaries emphasize the lessons and organize them for easy reference.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I was reading a copy sent by the publisher. BUT, receiving a book doesn't mean you have to read it! I read it because it's a great book, and I ended up sending two copies to long-time clients in Seattle. And, only after I finished Marketing Lessons, did I return to my Jonathan Kellerman mystery.

Through their albums, tours, and memorabilia, The Grateful Dead have generated a massive following and hundreds of millions of dollars in sales.

Two people who have studied the group's unusual business-and-culture-building methods are social media gurus and Deadheads, David Meerman Scott (author of "The New Rules of Marketing & PR" and, full disclosure, my friend and client) and Brian Halligan (CEO of Hubspot).

In the Introduction to "Marketing Lessons From The Grateful Dead," David and Brian call The Dead "one huge case study in contrarian marketing. Most of the band's many marketing innovations are based on doing the exact opposite of what other bands (and record labels) are doing at the time." A few contrarian examples:

* While other bands protected their songs from illegal taping by fans, The Dead set up "taper sections" at their concerts, where fans could openly record music. Later, the fans would share copies with other Deadheads, as well as with people who had never experienced the music before. The pool of Dead fans grew exponentially.

* While other bands saw touring as a money-draining evil that only served to get word out about their albums, The Dead turned the model on its head and built up their live shows into their primary revenue-generating vehicle. Suddenly, the 45s and albums served to promote the shows.

* While other band treated their fans as an undifferentiated mass, The Dead would accommodates the niches in their fan base. For instance, one niche, referred to as "The Spinners," enjoyed whirling to the music during a concert. Rather than ignoring or having them ejected, The Dead erected speakers in the concourse, so that the Spinners could congregate there and gyrate without restriction.

The book cites forward-thinking strategies like these, distills them down to their essence, shows how companies like Dropbox and Burton Snowboards are using these strategies today, and then teaches readers how they might use these ideas in their own business to build an active following.

I received my copy of the book yesterday, have read it through once, and am psyched for a second reading this weekend.

Some of the strategies I saw, such as planning monthly 19-day marketing "sprints," were brand new to me, while others, such as creating a unique business model, became new to me when studied though the rousing example of The Grateful Dead.

If you're at all passionate about your work and ideas, "Marketing Lessons From The Grateful Dead" can help make a deep difference in how you approach getting word out about them to the world. It's very much a book on how to succeed through building an enthusiastic community around shared meaning.

Whoda thunked that what was once perceived as anti-business-Haight-Ashbury culture has became what is now truly coveted by corporate communicators... direct relationships with our fans, which my shareholder communications niche calls "investors." The book's lesson on "Free your Content" resonates deeply in an industry regulated to promote transparency yet ironically struggles with the perceived liability of content control.

From my personal POV, the book reinforces what has always guided my successes: the irrefutable winning strategy of content and creativity.

Go buy the book. I received an advanced copy: it's a terrific summer Marcom read. Fun, real and actionable.

EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN. What I find to be most amazing is their discovery that what many consultants are ceaselessly blogging and Tweeting about today - labeled as "social media", transparency and access - The Dead, over four decades ago, instinctively called chillin' and sharin'.

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