Sep 2, 20174 min read

This Week in Content Marketing: Advertising Industry Prepares for Plummet

PNR: This Old Marketing with Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose can be found on both iTunes and Stitcher. If you enjoy our show, we would love it if you would rate it or post a review on iTunes.

In this week’s episode

Robert muses on inventing our best possible villain. In the news, we discuss the latest quarterly results from WPP and how the slowing of advertising could mark something more than just a cyclical blip. In addition, Google begins to reimburse clients and agencies for ad fraud, the Washington Post adds artificial intelligence to native, and Goop gets leveled by Truth in Advertising. Our rants and raves include Australia (yes, the entire continent) and U-Haul; then we close the show with an example of the week from CTO Advisor.

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Show details

(00:01): An advertising blast from the past: “The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries”
(00:30): Robert muses on this week’s theme: Have you invented your best villain?
(05:30): Welcome to Episode 198: Recorded live on August 28, 2017 (Running time: 1:04:44)
(09:20): Content Marketing World 2017 – The largest content marketing event in the world will return to Cleveland on September 5–8, with closing keynoter Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Time is running out. Register today, and don’t forget to use coupon code PNR100 to save $100 on the cost of registration.

(09:50): Content Marketing University – Registration for the new semester began yesterday. You can also use coupon code PNR 100 for a $100 discount on the cost of your one-year subscription to the foremost training program in the content marketing industry.
(10:02): Widen: Your guide to producing better work together – We’ve found that creative content production at most organizations falls into five core steps: strategic planning, tactical planning, creation, deployment, and assessment. Where are your teams getting stuck? Download the Creative Workflow Workbook to find out.

The quick hits – Notable news and trends

(11:42): WPP sounds a warning signal on consumer-ad spending. (Source: The Wall Street Journal)
(21:30): Google issues real refunds over fake ad traffic. (Source: The Wall Street Journal)
(26:53): The Washington Post brings artificial intelligence to its native ads. (Source: Digiday)

The deep dive – Industry analysis

(32:38): How B2B and B2C firms are falling into the engagement gap. (Source: MarketingProfs, Publishing Executive)
(37:19): Advertising watchdog looks to clean up Goop’s deceptive ad claims. (Source: BuzzFeed)

Rants and raves

(45:38): Robert’s rave: Robert felt encouraged by a new global report from NewBase, which revealed that nearly 60% of Asia-Pacific (APAC) marketers and agency bosses believe content marketing to be a main priority for the industry, compared to 50% worldwide. Robert himself has found that the APAC region is progressing in its content marketing expertise in a really quick and efficient way, making it a really interesting market to watch. (Source: Mumbrella Asia)
(50:07): Joe’s rant and rave: On a recent family outing, I was excited to see evidence of two very different companies both trying to engage with their customers by telling stories: U-Haul and Chipotle. However, when I later visited each company’s website to see how their stories progressed (as their story teasers instructed), I was disappointed to discover there were no additional details to be found, save for some press clippings. What’s the point of having all this great content and promoting it in your store, or on your vehicles, when it’s impossible to locate online?

This Old Marketing example of the week

(57:03): The CTO Advisor: Keith Townsend was starting to burn out on his career as a high-level information architect. After quitting his job, he started producing content to help him find a new direction for his career. The resulting content, which included blogs and podcasts, started to get some attention, landing at various sites, including VirtualizedGeek. The added exposure was meant to help him build his online presence so he could get on the radar of potential employers. Along the way, his personal brand began to attract more followers, so he decided to establish his own content platform, The CTO Advisor, where he would offer advice on how to build an audience and function as a personal media company. Though his content didn’t land him the corporate position he was originally looking for, it did open up a different business opportunity: Townsend launched The CTO Advisor as a corporate technology consulting practice, where he continues to produce content – including a podcast and a daily video show called CTO Daily Dose – for distribution across multiple platforms. It’s a wonderful This Old Marketing example of how any individual can build a content platform that enables them to build a business.