The revenge of content in marketing and media

Content has long been treated as a commodity and often the ugly duckling in the online industry. Remember those days where the largest part of website budgets went to design - often based on the eternal ego of the brand - instead of to what really mattered? 

What matters today is the overall customer experience in an integrated way. Even if content marketing is less used in a strict sense than we like to believe, it's clear that content is finally seen as the glue between the brand, the narrative, the consumer, the different channels and the business goals.

What will be the effect on the types of advertising and marketing IAB Europe is all about? Hard to tell. Some predict an integration of what is now known as paid, owned and earned media. Others look at it less from the media perspective and more from the customer journey perspective whereby what used to be B2B marketing concepts become mainstream in consumer marketing.

Connecting the brand, the media and the consumer with content marketing 

You'll have to fight for attention and make sure all touchpoints are consistent. You'll need to focus more than ever on the narrative and proposition of your brand while segmenting and personalizing.

And you'll need to herald a more integrated approach. Content marketing is about all that and about applying the principles of storytelling across the journey, regardless of media and formats. Connecting the brand. And the people within and around it. Add to that social content and the concept of audiences and their audiences, etc.

Will owned, earned and paid media converge? Maybe it's already the case. Just look at tv. But in the online space? My guess is that's it will not be a full convergence. Because trust has become something you need to earn and transparency and openness are very much about trust. Or am I wrong?

Anyway, no matter how you look at it: content starts getting the attention it deserves. Now we just have to get rid of the noise and focus on content that's relevant and leads to results, value, brand engagement and ultimately sales. Check out the slideshare presentation on the convergence of paid, owned and earned media and the dynamic customer experience by Altimeter Group below and read more about content marketing strategy.