Pulitzer Prize winning journalist- Harrison Salisbury.
We would be lying if we suggested that content marketing was a shiny new concept. Nearly half a century ago, Esquire ran a 23-page article by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Harrison Salisbury. The piece was sponsored by Xerox Corporation, costing the company the equivalent (in today’s terms) of $239,093.59.
What is fascinating about this early example of branded content is the focus on preserving editorial integrity prescribed by both Esquire and Xerox. To illustrate, the magazine retained full editorial control of the article, the sponsorship by Xerox was made explicit and so on – much as you would expect from a modern day branded content or advertorial partnership.
Future of branded content
Fast forward nearly 50 years and Xerox clearly still values powerful content marketing strategies. Under the steerage of Ken Ericson, Xerox director of content marketing, HealthBiz Decoded is a standout example, using infographics and informative articles on the interplay between healthcare and technology, successfully cementing Xerox’s position as a thought leader in the space.
Content marketing may have been born in an era of print, yet digital has undoubtedly accelerated the coming of its golden age. Branded storytelling through content marketing enables brands to regain an alluring control over their own image, by creating content that appeals to chosen audiences in non-traditional ways via video, text, podcasts, apps, interactive microsites and so on.
A breakout example fcame from Coca-Cola’s rebranding of its website, which evolved from ordinary corporate homepage to full-blown digital magazine. Featuring opinions, video, reports, interviews and more, Coca-Cola appears to have mastered the art of branded storytelling, or in its own words – ‘refreshing the world, one story at a time’.
To return to this notion of regaining control of the brand narrative, note how Coke is using the site to tell the stories it wishes the press would write, tales of corporate social responsibility and the brand’s promotion of healthy lifestyle.
Huge global brands are most certainly doing it, small brands are also doing it, with some fantastic and refreshingly creative examples now available in the B2B sphere from the likes of IBM and Cisco.
But while digital is powering the growth of content marketing, the principles of great strategy and planning along with a consideration of the fine balance between editorial (or creative) integrity and commercial objectives are as important now as they were when content was created on typewriters.
The challenges of creating branded content that connects and resonates with an audience, while weaving the appropriate brand story, are still as present as they were when Xerox inked that groundbreaking deal with Esquire back in 1975.
