The
website of 70s band, the Grateful Dead, is currently being converted into a
"full blown social network". Like I care, I hear you say. Well, you should because the development of websites into social communities is set to be one of the defining online events in the years ahead. The website, as we know it, is on borrowed time.
But this is great news for issuers, as communities and social networks generate far warmer traffic than one-way websites, which means much more exposure and pick-up for your product and brand. Only problem now is to make your product relevant so that people can relate to your brand. But this is easy.
The convergence of internet and in-line digital printing technology means issuers can now easily target and monetize the long tail of niches, of which the Grateful Dead community is a prime example. Advertise a Grateful Dead card and service on this site — you can get pretty much anything else in the
store so why not some plastic? — and watch the moola roll in.
To start with,
Deadheads can choose from one of a dozen card designs, from band members and stage shots to album artwork (see above). The
templated website they then go to to check their balance is wrapped in a Grateful Dead skin and plays Grateful Dead songs all the time they're in there. Rewards they receive go towards Grateful Dead paraphernalia, yada yada. This is an example of the pull, not the push. Grateful Dead fans will be gagging for your cards, which, to top it all off, will sit bang front-of-wallet.