The Grateful Dead are one of the most successful bands in history, but they didn't achieve their level of fame and fortune the traditional way.  Instead, they followed a path that enabled their fans to truly experience the band, share it, and develop relationships with it.The Grateful Dead are one of the best examples of a cult brand and a true relationship brand in existence.  I often refer to the Grateful Dead in my own marketing and branding books and presentations, so I was particularly excited when I heard about a new book that was released for pre-order today called Marketing Lesson from the Grateful Dead.David Meerman Scott (Newstex advisor and former marketing consultant) and Brian Halligan wear the label of Deadhead with pride, and their new book, Marketing Lessons for the Grateful Dead, not only offers a great education in marketing from one of the more unique examples you're likely to come across, but it's also filled with photographs and illustrations that add a great element of visual appeal to the book.  As Brian explains in the official press release:

“The Grateful Dead can be considered one giant case study in doing social media marketing right,” says Halligan, HubSpot CEO and co-­author of Inbound Marketing.  “Not only did they pioneer the freemium business model by allowing concert attendees to tape the show, but also encouraged their fans to build a community, and kept them informed via their newsletters.”

The book teaches readers how to:

• Rethink traditional industry assumptions
• Turn customers into evangelists
• Bypass accepted channels and go direct
• Build a huge loyal following

David's blog, WebInkNow.com, is syndicated through Newstex.  You can follow the link to read his blog post about Marketing Lessons for the Grateful Dead.  You can also visit the book's Facebook page.Can you guess my favorite Dead song?"Well, I ain't always right but I've never been wrong, seldom turns out the way it does in a song.  Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right."