What can YOUR business learn from the Grateful Dead?

Regular readers of this blog know that my co-author Brian Halligan and I are nearing the end of our book tour for Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead.

I’ll temper my Grateful Dead obsession and get back to writing about varied marketing and PR ideas starting next week… Thanks for indulging me with this series of Grateful Dead posts for the past few weeks.

If you’re completely fed up with all this Grateful Dead stuff, you MUST read this article by Terence Blacker in The Independent (UK): Time to herald the wisdom of chickens

Book tour update

This weekend, we were at Gathering of the Vibes for four days where we caught 60 bands, partied a bit, enjoyed backstage passes, met band members, watched the sets from the photo pit (in front of the stage) and signed some books. It was insanely cool. (See below for some photos).

Marketing lessons for any business

When Brian and I were writing the book, we imagined that the Dead's marketing could be applied to any industry. I love this blog post from Julie Robinson in her Main Artery blog What Cardiovascular Marketers Can Learn From the Grateful Dead.

And then there's this post from Patrick Braswell at Colliers International in MOSatlanta about applying the Dead's ideas to the office space market.

Hey, if cardiovascular marketers and office space marketers can learn from the Dead’s marketing, so can you!

Webinar featuring Bill Walton

Brian and I are hosting a very special webinar on Tuesday August 10 How to Market your Business Like the Most Iconic Band in History.

We'll be joined by basketball legend and Deadhead Bill Walton as we discuss how you can apply marketing ideas from the most iconic band in history in your business.

Gathering of the Vibes

Brian and I catching the Furthur set (Bob Weir and Phil Lesh's band) from the photo pit. Amazing feeling to be leaning on the stage with 20,000 people behind us.

Rhythm Devils (Billy Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart with Keller Williams)

Meeting Bob Weir. Together with Kreutzmann, Lesh, Jerry Garcia, and Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, Weir founded the Grateful Dead (in 1965 when he was 17).

Comments

[Carolyn Winter]

David - I have to say it is so refreshing to watch a professional marketing guy walk his talk and be in right action. How you and Brian have conducted your book launch and tour is like a case study from the book in real time. If the book is re-published, I think it would be great to have a post script chapter documenting how it was launched.

It is a pleasure to indulge your obsession. I have learned a lot from observing.

All the best,

Carolyn

[David Meerman Scott]

Thanks so much Carolyn. It has been so much fun to launch this book.

[60SecondTweets]

Congratulations on the book tour, David. This is wonderful.

And congratulations on doing the broadcast with Toby Bloomberg the other day. She and I have been friends for more than a decade. (Damn, I'm getting old.)

Good luck with everything. I know you're knocking it out of the park with the new book.

Best,
Jamie Turner

[Chris Barry]

Amazing how far we've come regarding the Dead. I've been a fan for 30 years and I'd get attitude from people who thought they were "above" the Dead-Head "scene." Only I (and their legion of fans) knew something intuitively more than the casual observer.

The fact that the band openly shares its "content," made a believer out of millions! Thanks David, for bringing their marketing philosophy to light!

Best regards!

Chris Barry

[David Meerman Scott]

Chris - yes it is interesting to see how far we Deadheads come. From weird outcasts to those showing the way.

David

[David Mach]

David- I'm a teacher in urban, north Jersey and am using your blog to help improve the PR of my school, promote my own career, get my students ready for jobs that demand web 2.0. I am DEEPLY enjoying the process. I love how studying the Grateful Dead & Obama's Campaign have positively effected my life. Thanks & keep up the good work!

[David Meerman Scott]

Hi David. Glad my ideas are helpful.

[Justin Tabas]

any update on the audio book release date?

[David Meerman Scott]

Justin

Thanks for your patience. I was told it would be out by now. I'm looking on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes myself.

Everything was recorded weeks ago. It is the production that is taking time.

Thanks for your patience.

Looks like Kindle edition is now out.

David

[David Mach]

A follow up to my August 11 comment: a little more than a week after reading your book, starting a blog, & using your techniques my blog has 1,056 hits, now getting about 200 a day. So, thanks!

Also, I just landed a job tonight at a rock show in Hoboken, NJ doing Public Relations for an indie band I love. I like the challenge of playing with PR outside the education niche I'm starting to carve out. Time to start lurking on MySpace.

Finally, I saw DSO and Gathering of Vibes in person last weekend. Their followers are religiously devoted! They certainly are doing SOMEthing right!

[ffxiv gil]

A follow up to my August 11 comment: a little more than a week after reading your book, starting a blog, & using your techniques my blog has 1,056 hits, now getting about 200 a day. So, thanks!