Jan 25, 20142 min read

Where Are All the Content Strategists at?

PNR: This Old Marketing with Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose can be found on both iTunes and Stitcher.

In this week’s edition, Robert and I talk about Contently’s funding increases, reveal the truth about Forbes’ valuation, discuss why TV is not dying, and share our thoughts on why CMOs are so bad at creating a good customer experience. In addition, Robert ponders the beyond-the-grave implications of content, and I rant about the confusion between content marketing and content strategy before we wrap things up with a This Old Marketing example from Nike.

This week’s show

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Show overview

1. Content Marketing in the News

Contently Raises $9 Million: Contently, the half technology/half agency, pulled in additional funding in its quest to become “the plumbing” for the content marketing industry. Robert and I feel that this is the first of many deals we will see in 2014 (contributing article: AdAge). Disclaimer: Contently has been a financial supporter of CMI.
Forbes’ Actual Numbers Released and (wait for it) BrandVoice Accounts for One-Quarter of Ad Revenue: A simply amazing article for discussion that goes through every financial aspect of Forbes. Simply put, based on traditional media valuation, there is no way that Forbes can get the $400 million dollars it wants. We then discuss how a non-media company (or perhaps a corporate brand) may have more to gain from the purchase than a media company (contributing article: Neiman Lab).
TV is Not Dead: Dave Morgan, founder of Tacoda (among other things), details how TV ad spending will grow more than digital over the next five years. Listen in as we share our take, and ask the question, “What exactly is TV anymore?” (contributing article: MediaPost).
Why CMOs Flunk at Customer Experience: Research from Forrester finds that only 8 percent of senior marketers surveyed can correctly define consumer personas and characterize the role they play in guiding a marketing strategy. Well, no wonder there is little consistency in the customer experience. We also talk about corporate silos, how to fix them, and what’s next (contributing article: MediaPost).

2. Rants & Raves

Robert’s Rant: Robert talks about a recent YouTube compilation created from a recently deceased person’s Twitter stream. A discussion ensues about who owns our stories when we publish them online? (For additional back-and-forth debate on the topic, check out Robert’s Facebook thread.)

Joe’s Rant: I discuss the new Coursera offering from Northwestern University on content strategy. My complaints? The course uses the terms “content marketing” and “content strategy” interchangeably throughout its materials. I also contest the accuracy of their definition of content strategy (i.e., they have it backwards). Robert and I both wonder where all the content strategists are at, and why there hasn’t been any backlash from them about this.

3. This Old Marketing Example of the Week

Joe talks about how Nike launched a jogging movement in 1966 by educating folks — not about jogging shoes, but rather on the overall benefits of jogging. I bet you can guess how it worked out for the brand. (I tip my hat to Garrett Moon for the find.)