David Meerman Scott has a new book out. It is co-authored with Brian Halligan of HubSpot, and entitled “Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead: What every business can learn from the most iconic bank in history”.

I’ve had a chance to read it cover-to-cover on my transatlantic flight a couple of days ago. Yes, its a quick (and tremendously engaging) read.

In this 160-pager, Scott and Halligan break the famous band’s success into 19 marketing lessons (each chapter of the book corresponds to one) which can be used by virtually any business (old or new) for the effective promotion and growth.

Here’s the breakdown of their tips (slightly reworded to be understandable from the first glance), and things you want to do while building your business according to the Grateful Dead’s success model:

1. Create a unique business model
2. Choose a memorable name
3. Bank of team’s diversity
4. Be your own authentic self
5. Experiment constantly
6. Embrace technology
7. Redefine your industry’s boundaries and categories
8. Encourage your followers’/fans’ eccentricity
9. Bring people on a journey they won’t forget
10. Put them in the front row
11. Build a following (through personal contact)
12. Cut out the middleman (the Internet is the medium)
13. Understand that “you gotta give to get”
14. Be easily spreadable and shareable
15. Have a “premium” option for purchase too
16. Loosen up your brand (to show personality)
17. Partner with entrepreneurs (those that will help you grow further)
18. Give back generously
19. Do what you love (this is one is actually good to remember right from the start!)

Excellent book. Inspiring, chock-full full of real-life business examples (in addition to the Grateful Dead ones), and giving some good food for thought. I recommend it.

Did you know that there are a number university professors who are quite active on Twitter? Among these there plenty of true marketing experts that you and I can find of great help. So you wouldn’t need to take any online schooling classes in marketing, but can just follow their tweets instead.

Today I’d like to bring you my list of the top 10 marketing professors to follow on Twitter, which you may find below.

1. Chuck Martin — Director of Center for Media Research, New York Times bestselling author, mobile evangelist, and adjunct professor at the University of New Hampshire (USA).
2. Beth Harte — Client Services Director at Serengeti Communications, integrated marketer, blogger, speaker, and adjunct professor at Immaculata University (USA).
3. Andres Silva Arancibia — Consultant an speaker on topics such as branding, communication, management and strategy; marketing professor at Instituto DuocUC (Chile).
4. Dave Chaffey — Bestselling author, consultant and speaker. Formerly senior lecturer at the University of Derby, Honorary Life Fellow of the Institute of Direct Marketing, lectures on ecommerce and digital marketing at such schools as the Universities of Birmingham, Cranfield, Leeds and Warwick (UK).
5. Mark Schaefer — Blogger, CMO for small companies, marketing entrepreneur, consultant, and adjunct professor at Tusculum College (USA).
6. Patrick Strother — Founder of SCG PR, expert in digital PR and branding, visiting associate professor at the University of Minnesota (USA).
7. Joe Bob Heste — Professor of Advertising at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (USA).
8. David Gerzof — Founder of BIGFish Communications, Social Media professor at Emerson College (USA).
9. Alan See — Vice President of Marketing at Berry Network (an AT&T company), Social Media consulting practice leader, and associate professor at the University of Phoenix (USA).
10. Sidneyeve Matrix — Tweets on such subjects as Social Media, eMarketing, mobile technology and edTech. Mass communications professor at Queen’s University (Canada).

If there any other ones you want to mention, please post their Twitter handles below.

Are you participating in the Fast Company’s Influence Project yet? Launched just 26 days ago, it already has 21,784 people registered, and the number is growing quickly.

The slogan of the campaign is “You’re more influential than you think”. The project’s website clarifies the idea:

ABOUT THE PROJECT

We started with a simple question: Who are the most influential people online right now?

That’s what The Influence Project is designed to answer. By participating, you will have your picture appear in the November issue of Fast Company magazine as part of an amazing photo spread. The more influence you demonstrate, the bigger your picture will be.

You may discover that you’re more influential than you think.

I’ve added the underlining to the above text to underscore the idea, and the reward.

I’m not gonna go into the analysis of their definition of influence (a great topic for another post); but would rather like to turn to 3 points which I believe are making this campaign such a success.

I’ve come up with this abbreviation — CTV (no, it has nothing to do with Canada’s largest television network) — each letter in which stands for one of the 3 essential components of a successful online marketing campaign. The Influence Project has them all, and so do other great campaigns (marketing campaigns, in particular) we’ve seen in the past:

1. Concept — It’s gotta be an attractive from end to start: from the idea to the prize, and The Influence Project has got it all lined up beautifully
2. Technology — Back it up with a cool technology. It’s great if it’s innovative, but it, actually, doesn’t have to be. Innovative approaches to existing technologies also work well (remember the IKEA’s photo-tagging Facebook campaign?)
3. Viral nature — Last, but certainly not least, your campaign must have the viral element embedded into it. The good ol’ world-of-mouth still works wonderfully when the idea is truly contagious

Have I missed anything? I’d love to hear your thoughts too. Please post them below — in the “Comments” area.

The transitive verb “to mimic” has several definitions, but the first two listed in the Webster’s dictionary are (i) to imitate closely, and (ii) to ridicule by imitation. Semantics is one of my favorite branches of linguistics; and when I look at the below picture I really don’t know which of these two definitions suits it best, but this image is certainly one of the best illustrations of mimicking:

What would BMW itself do?

They’d be innovative: both in essence (technology), and in shape/appearance (from design to advertising). The infamous billboard fight between Audi and Santa Monica’s BMW comes to mind:

Are you mimicking in your marketing, or being innovative? While some talk about replicating successes of others, I believe that achieving the real success comes from perfecting what it was that lead to their successes, taking things one step further, opening truly new horizons, and adding value in the way that was previously un- or under-utilized.

Today I have decided to put together a list of posts, articles and discussions I have enjoyed in the course of the past week. Some of them are related to affiliate marketing and affiliate program management, while others address the areas of marketing and advertising that I am personally fascinated with. I hope you will find a few gems in the below list as well:

► Affiliate Marketing with Twitter [affiliate program management]

► Looking into the Future of Digital Marketing [online marketing]

► 10 Ways to Make More Sales [marketing & sales]

► How Not to Use Twitter: Case Study [marketing with Twitter]

► Marketers: More Hockey, Less Figure Skating [online marketing vs traditional]

► 27 Must-Have Starter Kits for Web Designers [graphics & web design]

► E-commerce Calls to Action: Design Tips [usability, web design]

► Hidden Meanings in Popular Logos [logo design]

► 192 Creative, Smart & Clever Advertisements [advertising]

► Great Wall of Facebook: The Social Network’s Plan to Dominate the Internet — and Keep Google Out

One of the websites that I own is hosted with Globat. I wanted to switch its hosting, but didn’t have the time to move over to another host in time before my yearly renewal, and got charged for another year. I thought: “Okay. I’ll know better next year” and entered it into my calendar to remember to go away from them before my next renewal hits.

On Friday, I got a new opt-out e-mail from Globat. For those of you that don’t know it, Globat is known for their special version of opt-out e-mail marketing. In essence, their “opt-out” campaigns rest on a strategy that unless the recipient of the e-mail opts-out of a promo within a certain number of days after the e-mail is sent out, they are automatically charged for an upgrade they didn’t ask for. Here’s the text of the Friday e-mail from Globat (I’ve eliminated some of the irrelevant verbiage from it, and bold fonted some of the important words and phrases):

Dear Geno,

Many of you have been asking for it and now it’s here: Unlimited Web Hosting!

In 10 days from this date, we will be upgrading you to new unlimited package, the GX01(tm), for the low one-time upgrade fee of $49.95.  Never worry about going over your limit again and enjoy the peace-of-mind that comes with unlimited Web hosting.

The GX01 gives you the resources to grow your site as you see fit.  This amazing package features:

[details of the “amazing package” here]

As your trusted host, we strive to provide current and relevant products and services to maximize your experience with us. It is our pleasure and honor to host [url of my website] and appreciate that you continue to give Globat.com the opportunity to serve your Web hosting needs.

[deleted verbiage]

As one of our most valued customers and based on our customer feedback, we are absolutely certain that you want to take advantage of this opportunity. This is the first time we’ve gone unlimited and are excited to be able to bring this package to you.

For that reason, we will automatically upgrade your current hosting package to the GX01 and charge the $49.95 one-time upgrade fee to your account on file on Friday, February 6, 2009, unless you specifically tell us not to upgrade you by clicking on the link at the end of this e-mail.

Last but not least, your upgraded account will also qualify for 3 free months of hosting once the upgrade is complete and you are fully satisfied with it. I know that this sounds too good to pass up, but if you for any reason do NOT wish to take advantage of this incredible upgrade promotion, you will need to tell us so by clicking on the link at the end of this e-mail.

If you are still not convinced that this is a tremendous opportunity and you are positive that you do not want to participate, you need to tell us not to upgrade your account by clicking on the link below. (If you do not click this link, your account will automatically be upgraded and you will be charged the $49.95 one-time upgrade fee.):

NO, I DO NOT WANT this upgrade and hereby decline my 3 free months (click below):

[url to opt-out]

(If link does not work, please copy and paste the entire link into your browser.)

Thank you for your continued trust! If you have any additional questions about this new package, please contact us anytime at [e-mail address here], or call us at [phone number here].

Best regards,

Globat.com – Sales and Marketing Team

I see the word “trust” and the phrase “your trusted host” in the text of this e-mail. But I also see a clear abuse of  trust in the very same text. Globat is calling me one of their “most valued customers”. I find this enormously ironic! Yes, I definitely see that I am a “valued” one. Yet, your values are clearly monetary, and not the ethical ones, Globat. You are saying “Never worry… and enjoy the peace-of-mind.” After multiple opting-out of similar promos, and ticking the “never contact me again” box, your above e-mail makes me do exactly the opposite! I worry over the very fact that you have my credit card number stored on your server, Globat.

I did a Google search for “Globat opt-out,” and it yielded thousands of results, where I read customer reviews that call this  an “incessant wheedling for more money,” and warn others to “watch out for opt-out email offers,” calling this marketing practice a “deceitful”, “deceptive”, “outrageous”, “illegal”, and “most annoying” one.

Another funny element of the technique is that the 10 days are counted not from the moment that I confirm the receipt of your e-mail, but from the time and date that you’ve sent it out! You’re almost leaving me no chance. What if I’m on a vacation? It’s almost like a construction company (that I bought my home from) sending me a letter saying that they will build something on my lot, and if I do not reply within 10 days, they will accept my non-reply as an agreement, and will charge my account. What if I am traveling outside the country at that time, and never get the notice? The customer agreement is pre-supposed.

Shannon Kinnard (2002) says that “opt-out is just another word for unsolicited commercial e-mail” or spam. (“Marketing with E-mail: A Spam-free Guide to Increasing Sales, Building Loyalty, and Increasing Awareness”, p. 180) Dave Chaffey (2006), on the other hand, states that the “opt-out should not necessarily be viewed as a bad thing.” He calls “part and parcel of permission marketing” which “will save you the expense of targeting someone who is not predisposed to your service.” Chaffey says that this opt-out method will “help increase your response rates” and “can even be viewed as an opportunity,” because “customers may prefer information about other services they were unaware of.” (“Total E-mail Marketing”, p. 130) My personal view on the subject rests somewhere between Kinnard’s and Chaffey’s, but in case with Globat, we see a very distorted type of opt-out e-mail marketing. Globat does not offer you an “opportunity” (as opt-out e-mails should do per Chaffey), but is “absolutely certain that you want to take advantage of [the] opportunity” (verbatim quote from their above-mentioned e-mail).

Zig Ziglar says that “every sale has five basic obstacles: no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, no trust.” In the case I have described above, I have had no need, no desire, and now I have no trust. Considering that there is also no hurry, the Globat’s Sales and Marketing Team has done an excellent job in screwing up what could have been a decent marketing campaign. And some gut feeling is telling me that they’ll do it again. . .