Aug 12, 20174 min read

This Week in Content Marketing: Marketers, Not Publishers, Will Win With Long-Form Content

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 ponders how to know when it’s time to end a good thing. In the news this week, Apple hits record earnings, Google launches a new Snapchat-like ad format, and AI bots begin to create their own language. We offer a detailed analysis on the marketing opportunity behind long-form content, and discuss why Hasbro’s deal with Lions Gate went south. Our rants and raves include Stranger Things and the Facebook/Google duopoly; then we close with an example of the week on TheStreet and Jim Cramer.

Download this week’s PNR: This Old Marketing podcast

Content love from our sponsor: Smartling (41:51)

Translation: A reliable recipe for business growth – According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 95% of the world’s consumers live outside the United States. And any company pursuing them with English-only content is likely limiting its revenue potential. According to Common Sense Advisory, more than 70% of consumers are more likely to buy a product with information listed in their native language than a comparable product without. These realities haven’t been lost on the world’s leading brands.

Digital innovation may have flattened the world, but human language is still the key to forming authentic connections. As a result, any company limiting the conversation to a single language is also severely limiting its own growth potential. To be successful on a global scale, brands need to consider localization strategies that suit their audience and elevate their brand presence. And whether your company is big or small, the road to translation success always follows a similar path.

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Smartling - Translation A Reliable Recipe for Business Growth cover image

Show details

(00:01): An advertising blast from the past: “Puss In Boots – New Green Cans”
(00:30): Robert muses on this week’s theme: Should you quit while you’re ahead?
(05:06): Welcome to Episode 195: Recorded live on August 6, 2017 (Running time: 1:05:29)
(10:00): Content Marketing World 2017 – The largest content marketing event in the world will return to Cleveland on September 5–8, with just-announced closing keynoter Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Register today, and don’t forget to use coupon code PNR100 to save $100 on the cost of registration.

The quick hits – Notable news and trends

(13:00): Apple soars to record after signaling resilient iPhone demand. (Source: AdAge)
(17:57): Google is developing tech to offer Snapchat-like media experience. (Source: The Wall Street Journal)
(21:17): Facebook researchers unplug an AI system that created a bots-only language. (Source: Digital Journal)

The deep dive – Industry analysis

(24:47): How marketers will beat publishers at long-form content engagement. (Source: Publishing Executive)
(34:20): What went wrong with Hasbro’s bid for Lions Gate? (Source: The Globe and Mail)

Rants and raves

(44:50): Robert’s commentary: Robert was shocked – but not surprised – to discover some new stats that give added context to the increasing disintermediation of the online advertising market: Two-thirds of all advertising dollars worldwide will go to five companies – Google, Facebook, Tencent, Alibaba, and Baidu – with Google and Facebook taking the lion’s share (50%). (Source: Axios)
(49:53): Joe’s commentary: I finally caught up on Stranger Things, and it got me thinking about the ways audiences are discovering new streaming content to consume, including the role that licensing deals are playing. This article from License Global is a great introduction to the unlimited revenue potential of merchandising and serves as a reminder that there’s more than one way to make money from a content brand.

This Old Marketing example of the week

(55:49): TheStreet and Jim Cramer: Though I may not always agree with his stock analyses, both Robert and I admire the business model that CNBC personality and Mad Money host Jim Cramer has built around his skills as a financial expert. Cramer started his media career as a radio show host who gave out free investment advice, which he based on his insights as a hedge fund manager. After building a strong audience following, Cramer co-founded TheStreet in 1996 as a platform on which he could further build his personal brand. Over the years, that brand has grown into a multimillion-dollar media empire, thanks in large part to his strategy of offering useful financial content, investment tools, and money management services that help teach the average investor to think about the stock market like a pro would. It’s a really cool, Content Inc.-inspired This Old Marketing example of how to earn a subscribed audience first, and then create ways to earn their business as customers.