Monty Python Free Info Brings More Sales

Posted by Tom Blue on January 22, 2009 under Marketing | Be the First to Comment

There is a story on Mashable about how Monty Python has been able to drastically increase their dvd sales by providing free clips on YouTube. I think this concept works out very well if you give just part of your information, but not all. We, Lead411, have been using this same strategy with our information. The band, the Grateful Dead, did this for ages. They allowed people to tape their shows which ended up increasing the awareness of the band and its music. John Perry Barlow, a lyricist for the Grateful Dead, wrote an article about this concept in Wired over 10 years ago.

I do agree conceptually that it would be nice if information were “not possessed” as Barlow mentions, but I don’t know if that is possible or fair. Just because I feel that information should be free does not mean that the creators feel their information should be free. And I don’t believe I am in a place to tell them it shouldn’t be.