In the 1960s the Grateful Dead pioneered many social media and inbound marketing concepts that businesses across all industries use today. They made a series of difficult and often unpopular decisions in order to differentiate themselves from their competition by providing the highest quality service to their fans, not just a product. They pioneered a freemium business model, allowing concert attendees to film and distribute footage, which helped build a powerful word-of-mouth fan network powered by free music. Instead of obsessing over recording, the Dead became the most popular touring band of their era, selling hundreds of millions of dollars worth of tickets, creating a highly profitable corporation in the process. Without any hit records, the Grateful Dead achieved elite success, becoming one of the most iconic rock bands of its era and inventing a brand that democratically included their consumers (and literally co-created a lifestyle for Deadheads). Fast forward to today. Successful marketers continuously develop strategies based on those successfully used by the Dead, shifting focus away from products to customers in order to create demand. Written by Deadhead marketing gurus David Meerman Scott and Brian Halligan, Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead will show you how to think and market like the band, which is to think and market differently. Each chapter presents and analyzes a marketing concept practiced by the Dead and a real-world example of that concept in action today. Specific topics include: * Get found by customers by being remarkable and making it easier for them to spread your message * Watch your competition but don't follow them * Freemium content as a customer magnet * Create a community and let it tell your story * Disintermediation of the middle man * Teamwork * Embrace Technology FOREWORD. INTRODUCTION. PART ONE THE BAND. Chapter 1 Create a Unique Business Model. Chapter 2 Choose Memorable Brand (and Band) Names. Chapter 3 Build a Diverse Team. Chapter 4 Be Yourself. Chapter 5 Experiment, Experiment, Experiment. Chapter 6 Embrace Technology. Chapter 7 Establish a New Category. PART TWO THE FANS. Chapter 8 Encourage Eccentricity. Chapter 9 Bring People on an Odyssey. Chapter 10 Put Fans in the Front Row. Chapter 11 Build a Following. PART THREE THE BUSINESS. Chapter 12 Cut Out the Middleman. Chapter 13 Free Your Content. Chapter 14 Be Spreadable. Chapter 15 Upgrade to Premium. Chapter 16 Loosen Up Your Brand. Chapter 17 Partner with Entrepreneurs. Chapter 18 Give Back. Chapter 19 Do What You Love. Acknowledgments. Furthur Reading. About the Photographs. About the Illustrations. About the Authors.