The Grateful Dead as role models for businesses?  Seems a bit far-fetched.  Until one considers their lasting power and the loyalty they built up among their fans.  In a new book, David Meerman Scott and Brian Halligan, stress that the Dead understood that their brand did not depend on heavy-handed control, but rather a willingness to evolve and innovate.  They write:

The Grateful Dead teaches us to show our brand's playfulness and to trust that our customers will recognize our brand even if it looks a little "different."

When designing your websites, e-books, whitepapers, and social media profiles, give your design professionals some leeway. Yes, you want them to follow your corporate design standards, but let them deviate from those standards as appropriate. Professional designers know how to exercise their skill and incorporate fresh ideas without deviating completely from your brand.

By loosening up your brand, you allow your company to show its personality—and, by extension, its ability to roll with the punches.

The book is titled Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn From the Most Iconic Band in History, and Scott and Halligan have provided MarketingProfs with an excerpt.  Read it here.