Content Play

I need to find the source for the quote: "reputation is the new PageRank."

I’ve been thinking a lot about the role content is taking on in the world of Marketing and Advertising. For the past three days, I’ve been brain-deep in the CMA – Canadian Marketing Association – National Convention and Trade Show. As I mingle, I’m beginning to hear a common theme. It links directly to the thoughts from my Blog posting, Instead Of "What?" Ask "Why?", and then trickles into the idea that most big brands (and agencies) are grappling with the idea of "Content As Media." If you’ve ever seen me present, the idea that content is the new media can be somewhat provocative to some, and a play on the advertorial game to others.

You have to play with content. No choice. I’m not just talking about word. It’s also images, audio and video. There’s pressure for Marketing departments to be all things to all people, but one core competency that most are missing is their ability to create volumes of gorgeous content. They’re not built for this. They are built to either manage the agency process or sift through creative for execution. They may even have the in-house talents to get some micro-sites and e-mail marketing rocking, but when it comes to the time, strength and commitment to consistently deliver fresh and relevant content, it’s a struggle.

It’s understandable and I am not being critical.

That’s where their rub is. It’s hard to get rolling in Social Media and Web 2.0 because it is very counter-culture to most. It’s not a quarterly campaign, and it’s not something you can toss on to a VPs desk and say, "what do you think we should go with, option A or option B?"

We’re asking people who have been cooking with Microwaves to toss them and try a slow roaster (I don’t know anything about cooking, but that’s the best analogy I could think of).

I want companies (agencies and brands) to get excited about content. To have fun thinking about new and engaging ways to connect to Consumers by giving them smart words, cool images, gripping videos and theatre-of-the-mind audio. Granted, I’ve always been a sucker for great content (and in pursuit of trying to create it). I do believe that if Marketers want to get Consumers right down to the final buying decision, content is media… but they have to willing to play the game (and take it seriously).