CHAPTER 8
Encourage Eccentricity
If you’d been to a Grateful Dead concert before, you would understand the unusual experience. The casual approach, beginning the show without fanfare. The lack of a Billboard hit song. The warm community vibe. The thick smoke from a thousand joints. A live Grateful Dead show was unlike anything else in the music world. The eccentricity of the whole thing seemed oddly comfortable and satisfying.
But to a newbie, the scene, and the concert itself, prompted many questions and comments: “Why don’t they tune up before they come onto the stage?” “The guitarist is wearing shorts.” “Two drummers?” “Really? They take a half-hour break in the middle of the show?” “That song lasted 17 minutes!” And then, of course, there was the sheer wonder at what went down at the park across from the arena all afternoon: “Look, tie-dyed socks!” “Why don’t the cops arrest all these people smoking dope?” “Everyone is smiling (even the cops); this is such a happy crowd!”
THROUGH THEIR OWN ECCENTRICITY, THE GRATEFUL DEAD ENCOURAGED ECCENTRICITY IN THEIR FANS, GIVING PEOPLE A CREATIVE OUTLET TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES.
The Grateful Dead tribe was made up of eccentrics who used the live shows as an outlet to express themselves in a supportive atmosphere. To be sure, some diehard fans wore “hippie clothes” year-round, drove a VW bus, and lived on a commune. But the majority of fans would drift into the scene only when the band was in town, leaving the tie-dye clothes hanging in the closet while they went to classes at a prestigious university, worked on a Wall Street bond-trading floor, or wrote stories for a major newspaper. Deadheads are your neighbors, coworkers, and friends. The concerts allowed fans an outlet, a place to relax and rejoice, to dance, mingle, have fun, and, most important, feel comfortable in a supportive atmosphere of like-minded people.
MARKETING LESSON FROM THE GRATEFUL DEAD
Encourage Eccentricity
As a marketing strategy, the idea of challenging the accepted standards or creating a product that may seem a little weird can make companies highly successful. There will always be various groups who see themselves as different, special even, in their fierce independence. These independent thinkers look for companies and organizations to do business with and search out products to buy that reflect their sense of self. In a world of “me-too” products, the businesses that cultivate a strategy of appealing to the tastes of outliers are generating success.
Your potential customers value uniqueness. And get this—they’ll frequently pay more to be different! An Apple computer is much more expensive than its rivals and Apple fans will happily pay the price difference. The Apple marketing team understands deeply the personalities of the people who buy their products. Much like the Grateful Dead, Apple cultivates an enthusiastic fan base. And just as a Grateful Dead concert is different from other rock concerts, an Apple retail store is different too. No cash registers. No clutter. What few shelves exist are tucked away in the back. There’s even a “Genius Bar” where helpful employees will guide you in the ways of eccentricity . . . er, Apple.
Still, most companies continue to create products as direct competitors to established players in the market. Instead of catering to those who wish to be different, they offer products that are exactly the same as the competition. Or they toss out something that’s the same but a little cheaper than the other guys.
THE GRATEFUL DEAD TEACHES US THAT WE ARE ALL ECCENTRIC IN SOME WAYS. SMART COMPANIES UNDERSTAND ECCENTRICITIES AND CREATE A MARKET FROM THEM.
Eccentrics take on many forms. When everyone else is carrying nylon computer bags and sporty backpacks to the office, the eccentric insists on an “old-fashioned” leather briefcase. The eccentric spends six hours on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in a dingy rec room playing Dungeons and Dragons. The eccentric collects chewing gum wrappers and has over 2,000, with examples from over 50 countries. The eccentric reads instead of watching television. The eccentric rides a bike instead of driving. The eccentric is us. And the eccentric is you (after all, you’re reading this really weird book on Grateful Dead marketing! What would they think if they knew?!).
In other words, eccentrics are a huge market.
NEW BELGIUM BREWING COMPANY: FAT AND HAPPY
In the world of beer, the offerings of the huge breweries are fine for the masses. Most people are perfectly happy sipping a cold one from the likes of Anheuser—Busch InBev or Miller-Coors. But the eccentric is looking for something different. Much different. Something like Fat Tire Amber Ale from New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado. Fat Tire was named in honor of New Belgium founder Jeff Lebesch’s bike trip through Belgium, visiting breweries. He learned about the way Belgian beers use a broader palette of ingredients (fruits, spices, esoteric yeast strains) than German or English styles. Fat Tire won fans who appreciate the interesting taste (as well as those who are drawn to the quirky name).
To encourage the eccentric fans who enjoy Fat Tire Amber Ale, New Belgium sponsors an annual “Tour de Fat” bicycle parade and festival. Here is the information about the 2010 Tour de Fat:
Yes folks, the Tour de Fat will once again be meandering and pandering through 13 western cities spreading the good word about the positive societal offerings of the bicycle. Along with our exceptional ability to roust a city’s inner-cyclist, in 2010 we hope to drive our message even deeper by bringing you the biggest, most enjoyable traveling bike festival that we know of. May the revival roll forth in the name of the bicycle, and may you ride true to The Ten Commandments of the Tour de Fat:
1. Put no means of transport before thy bike
2. Honor all other bikes
3. May every generation come forth
4. Thou shall come as a participant, not a spectator
5. Thou shalt not bring booze
6. New Belgium shalt not profit
7. Remember the purpose, and bring not your pooches
8. Keep the day true with thy good juju
9. Thou shall rise early
10. Thou shalt not steal thy neighbors’ bike
Like the Grateful Dead, New Belgium Brewing Company has built a vibrant community for lovers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and the brewery’s other brands. The community of eccentrics comes together for physical events (like the Tour de Fat) and tours of the “Liquid Center” (the brewery). And the company also encourages its eccentrics to “Follow our folly” on social networking sites. By creating products (and a community) for eccentrics, New Belgium Brewing Company has grown quickly from its beginnings in 1991.
ROCK ON
Cultivate eccentrics
Have you noticed that people who are passionate about something are eager to talk it up, just like fans of the Grateful Dead want to talk up their favorite band? Your job is to create an experience that’s unique, one that eccentrics will gravitate to, and one that they want to talk up.
ACTION: Build personality into your web site. Remove any content that looks similar to your competitors’. Delete what’s boring. Make sure your web site, blog posts, newsletters, and e-mails are unlike all others in the marketplace. Being unique will make you stand out. Build up the information (videos, blog posts, e-books, and photos) that appeals to eccentrics in your marketplace.
