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Content is King

I read an article today on how Cancun is becoming the violent crime capital of Mexico with 133 murders through July this year. That’s a homicide rate that is double of what it was last year. The rise in violent crime is threatening to disrupt the 20 billion dollar tourism industry. Authorities are attributing the rise in violence to gangs affiliated with drug cartels that operate in the area.

This is all sad news but the rub here is that I read this some 17 hours ago and after a day with four conference calls, three client meetings, two internal sessions and a lunch meeting in a pear tree (I couldn’t help myself). What I’m saying is that I had a very busy day, but the facts that I read this morning are firmly ingrained in my mind.

The information was provided to me in the form of content. Content, more specifically, a USA Today article that contained various points of interest to me; a place I visit frequently, a country I love, law enforcement and travel. I will carry these facts until further notice knowing that the interest I have in them is the driving force of my recall.

Topics that we have interest in can generate consumer affinity and when served as content, can significantly influence our consumer behavior.

For instance, a well written article on backcountry 4×4 trails could help sell me a new Jeep (Rubicon this time); a piece on how awesome the weather is in the Pacific Northwest in August could send me packing; content that spells out the benefit of a particular brand of putter could motivate me to purchase that club to enhance my own game; a review of a tasty dish could send me to a local restaurant this weekend.

Article read… behavior influenced.

None of this comes in the form of an advertisement… it comes to me as content. The term we use for this in the business is native advertising.

What I’m trying to get at is if we, as marketers, can present products within the confines of great content to audiences who have interest, our ability to influence or generate action increases significantly.

In the world of marketing… CONTENT IS KING; I know I’m not the first to say that but I was the first to sing the Canadian national anthem wearing only a sombrero in a pool shower at a resort just south of my beloved Cancun.

I digress…

Content being valuable is not lost on marketing professionals who have chased this golden chalice of influence for decades. Like a lot of things in the world of advertising, most fail gloriously using a variety of mediums like advertorials, automated content feeds on social media and even infomercials, which to me are only slightly better than being murdered in a foreign country.

At ReThinc, we understand the role content plays in a properly executed marketing strategy. Like a lot of things we do, our jam on content is not like other agencies who want to provide said content and then take a vital organ for payment. We find that valid, compelling content is best derived directly from the client. They provide expert, valid opinions and information that is readily editable for consumer consumption. Client sourced content creates a significant amount of advantages, such as greater engagement in their marketing efforts, accurate and passionate information, a better customer profile and keen insight on the business or industry.

As an ad agency in Phoenix, we can do some very good things for our clients; content marketing is one of them. All that being said, ReThinc Advertising is about to step up our content game. An announcement is forthcoming that will take our abilities to the next level.

If you want to know more about content and how we make it sell for you, contact me at ed.olsen@rethincadvertising.com.

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