Yes, my blog is primarily about promotional products (swag, if you will), marketing and advertising. But, the “marketing umbrella” covers a whole lot of things, so really, this might be a little bit relevant.
Any one that know me knows that I am a HUGE fan of the Dave Matthews Band. My iPod is loaded with 5.5 GB and 850 tunes and they are all Dave Matthews or the Dave Matthews Band with the exception of a few tunes from
Bonnaroo and a favorite local musician,
Billy Buchanan.
Yes, you may think I may be one dimensional when it comes to music but not really. First of all, through DMB's guest, shared performances and cover songs, I've been introduced to music I would have otherwise never known. Secondly, the Dave Matthews Band has it all.....a little jazz, a little country, a little blue grass, a little hip hop, a little – make that a lot of – jam and rock & roll. There is something for every one of my personalities and every one of their moods. I can be tense and stressed, hop on my bike with my iPod and come back with an entirely new outlook. I may be down or worried, and listen to their more upbeat songs and gain fresh optimism. I can be in a mellow mood and wrap myself in softer, bluesy DMB tunes. Even when I need to do housework, a little DMB in the background makes me dance my way through my chores. They never perform the same song the same way twice. There seems to be something fresh and unexpected with every song and with every show.
So, there. I love music and most of all I love DMB. I think you either get it or you don't. They either get inside of you in a way that is very personal – or, for reasons I will never understand, I guess they just don't.
This brings me to the reason I had to write about DMB. Their closest regular tour stop for me is in Tampa, which was this past July 28th. It has become an annual tradition to meet up with my concert companion, Julie, in Orlando and head over to the show. Since I first met Julie (at a DMB concert), she has had her first and second novels published. In the first, she included the Dave Matthews Band in her acknowledgments for providing inspiration while she was writing. I thought I was a huge fan until I met Julie.
For the Tampa show, Julie bought two tickets and I bought two tickets. Neither of us were bringing anyone else so we picked out the best seats and sold the other two on the
Warehouse (the Dave Matthews Band fan club that offers benefits to loyal fans including early purchase of concert tickets, fan networking and exclusive merchandise..... another benefit is that you can buy, sell and trade tickets at face value). My seats weren't bad...dead center in the pavilion, but Julie always gets the best tickets – I suppose since she's been a member for longer and goes to a lot more shows. This year, they were in the Orchestra Pit! It doesn't get better than that – or so we thought.
The afternoon before the concert, I answer the phone and there is a voice from
Music Today asking me “How would you like to meet Dave?” Thank goodness for caller ID, or I would have never believed it. Even still, I needed a little convincing. I knew that Dave Matthews has frequent “meet and greets” before shows, but what are the odds?
Pollstar just listed them in their top ten concert tours in 2010 .....and as the #1 band in 2010 in North America tickets sales...1.27 million to be exact. Julie and I had discussed it before.....how it would be a dream come true, but also that the likelihood of being one of the 'chosen few' was pretty slim.
I completed my call with Music Today and immediately called Julie. She didn't believe me. However, my excitement could not be contained nor manufactured. Her poor daughter was in the car with her while we were screaming and acting like teenagers! (read
her blog about the event). I had forgotten what it felt like to get that excited! We decided then that if we had to die that day, let it be after the show and we would be okay.
We weren't alone..we had to share our time with a few other lucky fans – but Dave was very gracious and considerate with all of our requests for autographs and photos. He also seemed very moved by Julie's acknowledgments in her book (he signed a copy for Julie and of course, Julie gave him a copy to keep). It all seems like such a blur now and I still can't believe it.
It is amazing – after so many years of touring and so many shows every year, they still really seem to truly love and enjoy what the
y do and seem to genuinely love and appreciate their fans. In return, they have an intensely loyal fan base.
Earlier this year, DMB announced that they were taking a break and not touring next year – a first, in over 20 years. They pacified anxious fans already worried about withdrawals with a few extra shows this winter. The “last stop” was where it all began in Charlottesville, Va on November 21. No, we couldn't miss it....Julie and I were there (in the Orchestra Pit again, no less) singing and dancing the night away with joy and appreciation – and wondering just how we'll get by without
our DMB fix in 2011.
To bring this back around to business, I think the core to DMB's success is their 'customer' loyalty. Wouldn't it be great if we could all generate this same kind of passion, loyalty and enthusiasm for our own business? Of course, it would help if we all had the same talent, drive, creativity and love for what we do as DMB. If there are steps to success that all of us can replicate, they include:
- Love what you do and do what you love – your customers will know.
- Always, be grateful and appreciative.
- Be accessible, regardless of how successful you become.
- Reward your best clients with added benefits.
Don't get stale or function on “auto-pilot” – mix it up, try new things, keep it fresh.
Dream. Always dream - and never give up on your dream.
Cheers! Happy 2011!
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