For Part 2 of Internet Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead, let’s look at their Unique Selling Position.
This is a recording of The Grateful Dead from the Filmore East 4/29/71.
You can hear them doing a version of Uncle John’s Band, right, here:
The Grateful Dead offered their own, USP (Unique selling position).
As promoter Bill Graham said: “They’re not the best at what they do, they’re the only ones who do what they do”.
Like most performers, the Dead did tours of multiple cities, during the Spring and Fall. Most performers will bring the exact same show to each city. That is the same exact song list for each concert. Even the encore is the same.
Not so with the Dead. Each show was different and unique. You can hear the New York crowd go wild after this tune. Even Bill Graham asks: “Is there anyone like the Grateful Dead?”
The Dead’s USP was that they were different from most every other rock band. Their best shows were totally spontaneous. They would not play the same songs night after night, they mixed things up.
Not only were the songs different, each concert was a virtual marathon. Dead shows lasted an average of 4 hours (with a break between sets.)
When you attended a Grateful Dead concert, you knew you were getting you money’s worth.
You were not only going to a concert, you were going to an event.
So much so, that the crowd became a part of the concert. The fans of the Grateful Dead even named themselves Dead Heads. Some fans became so fanatical, they would follow the band from city to city for an entire tour.
The Dead knew this, and realized that this was part of their USP as well. Not that every concert was spectacular, because it wasn’t. With the Dead, sometimes the magic worked and sometimes, it didn’t.
So what’s your USP? Are you trying to define your self as different or are you just like everyone else?
Here’s the encore from the same show:
You can find additional concerts and Grateful Dead information, here:
Any Jimmy Buffet fans?
Jimmy Buffett Live at Record Plant, October 24, 1974 – Available for Download
Respectfully submitted,
Albert Grande
Dead-Head-in-Training