Nov 25, 20173 min read

This Week in Content Marketing: Why Won’t CMOs Consider Buying Media Companies?

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

In this final regular episode, Robert ponders the nature of doing nothing (and doing it well). We discuss which company we feel is most likely to buy Fox, and whether Apple will ever really buy Disney. We also examine an increasingly disturbing web content trend, and media companies’ rush into the agency services business. Our rants and raves include net neutrality and audio content; then we sign off with an example of the week that takes us back to our own humble roots.

Download this week’s PNR: This Old Marketing podcast

Show details

(00:01): An advertising blast from the past: “A show about nothing”
(01:00): Robert muses on this week’s theme: Are you doing nothing?
(08:31): Welcome to Episode 210: Recorded live on November 19, 2017 (Running time: 1:11:05)

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The quick hits – Notable news and trends

(12:30): Why Comcast, Verizon, and Disney should and shouldn’t try to acquire Fox. (Source: Adweek)
(23:40): Something is wrong on the internet. (Source: Medium)

The deep dive – Industry analysis

(35:42): Holiday cards and house ads: The role of publishers’ content studios is ever-expanding. (Source: Digiday)

Rants and raves

(47:55): Joe’s rave: Considering recent findings from Edison Research that audiobook revenue surged to more than $2.1 billion in 2016, it should come as little surprise that publishers in this sector are experimenting with new ways to meet the feverish demand for audio content. For instance, Hachette Audio is taking advantage of the tremendous opportunity by pursuing audio-first content deals, in which the company would either generate a print version after the audio version gains sufficient traction, or would bypass the print book entirely, as detailed in this fascinating article from the Chicago Tribune.
(52:56): Robert’s call to action: Long-time PNR listeners have no doubt heard Robert’s take on the importance of net neutrality; and now, it’s time for supporters to take their last stand. The FCC vote to overturn earlier decisions to preserve net neutrality has been scheduled for December 14. If maintaining an open internet is something you are just as passionate about as Robert, please take a minute to educate yourself on the issue, call your state representatives and let them know how you feel, or donate to organizations that are helping to fight for our digital rights – including Fight for the future, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
(55:28): Robert’s rave: Though it’s more of a content story than a content marketing story, Robert still highly recommends that everyone check out this Medium article, which examines, in detail, what might just be the greatest sales pitch ever. Delivered by Drift director of marketing, Dave Gerhardt, at an OpenView Venture Partners recent speaker event, the brilliant narrative describes how the live chat tool company transformed its content operations into a movement, of sorts, by including five specific attributes in every one of its storytelling efforts.

This Old Marketing example of the week

(57:30): This Old Marketing: As we close this current chapter of our podcast collaboration, Robert and I decided to bring things full circle by focusing on This Old Marketing as our final Example of the Week. In addition to fueling a tremendous amount of content for our site, the show has made some other significant contributions to the CMI brand: Since its launch in November of 2013, our podcast has generated 2 million downloads, from listeners in 200 countries. It has also generated approximately a half-million dollars in direct revenue from sponsorships. But, perhaps even more importantly, it has served as a powerful, community-building forum, where our true fans could get more informed about our industry, get inspired to improve their own content, and get involved – in everything from sharing their perspectives on the topics we discussed, to suggesting story ideas and source articles, to submitting their favorite content examples for us to highlight, and more. We are truly grateful for your support, your participation, and your encouragement, and we look forward to sharing our future endeavors with you all.