Content Marketing: Past, Present, and Future

As the traditional marketing buckets of “Paid, Earned, and Owned Media” continue to overlap (a trend called Converged Media), quality content is becoming the driving force behind every brand worth its salt.

Unlike traditional advertisements (Paid Media) and brand-centric public relations and social media messages (Earned and Owned Media, respectively), Converged Media gives the user greater ability to choose what content he or she consumes. Whether it’s a series of educational blog posts or witty viral visuals, brand messages must always be useful, relevant, or fun (or all three).

This expectation of brands to produce better content is driving a “Content Arms Race” among the biggest names, from Coca Cola to Oreo: Contently claims that in 2014, content became the top priority for marketers, who assign it over 30% of their budgets. And nearly half of marketers plan to expand content development in the next 12 months.

But while its meteoric rise in recent years is noteworthy, the content industry is not new. According to this handy infographic from Content Marketing Studio, content marketing was taking place long before it became trendy:

• John Deere – yes, the tractor company – has been marketing content since 1895, when it launched The Furrow. The magazine now boasts a circulation of 1.5 million in 40 countries.
• Jell-O jumped into content in 1904 with a Recipe Book that contributed to sales of over $1 million by 1906.
• Hasbro joined forces with Marvel in 1982 to create a G.I Joe comic book, a stunning success that launched the G.I. Joe phenomenon
• Lego followed suit in 1987 with its Brick Kicks magazine (now Lego Club)
• American Express launched its OPEN Forum in 2008 as a resource for small business owners, and its audience grew 23x in just two years.

The industry continues to evolve at a breakneck pace, with two milestones occurring in just the last few years. In 2011, Coca Cola, arguably the world’s biggest consumer brand, released Content 2020, a marketing plan that places storytelling at the center of its brand strategy. And last year, Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches” video became the most viewed “ad” of all-time, according to Mashable.

These examples go to show that content marketing is perhaps the most adaptive and vibrant form of brand messaging: Despite its age, this tactic continues to grow and change the marketing industry.