Marketing lessons from the Grateful Dead isn’t the heaviest of marketing books in either its tone or its weight. It is, however, a damn good read and one that gently imparts simple ideas. The sort of basic stuff that marketers the world over, know and love but the same ideas that we often forget in the rush of the everyday.
One element that really appealed to me is called “Put fans in the front row”. This explains how the Dead’s ticketing system – their own incidentally – enabled lower ticket prices and a reduction of scalpers. It favoured the fans and not those with an easy to hand credit card – the real die-hard fans – the Deadheads. So different to today’s marketing deals where often a existing and loyal customer will be paying more than a new one. The existing customer is often not allowed to take advantage of the lower prices even if requested.