The rise of brand-controlled communication, and how to successfully connect with consumers

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Content Marketing Strategies for
FMCG
The rise of brand-controlled communication, and how to successfully connect
with consumers
Reference Code: CM00234-034
Publication Date: April 2014

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Executive summary
Content marketing is on everyone's lips, and everyone claims to be doing it. It takes up at least a quarter of
most marketing budgets, but more often than not, it is carried out without a proper plan. This report looks at a
range of different case studies, both recent and with a longer heritage, to pick out key lessons and insights.
Our scope is broad, as content marketing comes in many different forms. There is branded content, such as
online video, which can trigger a strong emotional response and capture people's imagination, as those from
Red Bull and Old Spice have done. Other forms get their strength from the context in which they are found.
This is true of updates that sit within the flow of our news feeds, or are seamlessly integrated within the
publication we enjoy, as happens with native advertising.
In all cases, content marketing needs to prioritize engaging the target audience to build conversations
between brand and consumer. This is unlike traditional advertising, which is often about big ideas,
campaigns, and selling. Understanding the differences as well as the similarities between these different
approaches to marketing communication is helpful to ensure that practitioners get the most from each.
Content marketing has not appeared from nowhere. Analysis of the current marketing landscape reveals a
number of push and pull factors that make content marketing appealing to both consumers and businesses.
Content marketing is an appropriate response when people have become increasingly skeptical about
advertising claims and it is no longer possible to assume that everyone watches TV commercials with great
absorption.
Content marketing also aligns with a changing media landscape, as it generates brand messages that do not
interrupt to get attention but fit with where that attention already is. Content marketing makes the most of
opportunities for brand-consumer interaction online, whether it is just liking, commenting, and sharing, or
something more involved. There are many different tactics and technique with which to experiment.
Whatever the format, no one approach to content marketing fits all, but there are common features and
processes. Content marketing is not a one-act show. It involves more than simply delivering the goods; it
requires forethought upfront, and assessment and ongoing optimization afterwards.

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Likewise, content marketing is not the sole prerogative of any particular stakeholder. With content marketing
so appealing and alluring, many are keen to get involved, not just the brands themselves, but also those
advertising and media agencies traditionally responsible for providing marketing services. New breeds of
agencies and partners can also be found in the content ecosystem. We consider what each might have to
offer.
Content marketing keeps us on our toes: it is a dynamic space with new opportunities and emerging issues
to discuss. Trust and transparency are likely to come up the agenda as regulators become concerned about
deceptive content. In general, the risks in going ahead lie within the control of the executor of content
marketing. Skimping and switching about will not do. This type of marketing requires a commitment to
produce quality compelling content on an ongoing basis so as to build up and not disappoint an audience.
Ultimately, we must not forget that content marketing is about offering value to consumers; for businesses to
get value, they need to recognize that it is an investment and not a cost, and thus align resources and
expectations accordingly

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Chapter 1 Introduction
About this report
"2014 set to be a blowout year for content marketing." – Vertical Measures, 2014
"Assuming that big data is so 2013, among this year's contenders are native advertising and content
marketing." – Rob Norman, chief digital officer, GroupM, 2014
"Content marketing is critical for business growth." – Huffington Post, 2013
"39% of digital marketing professionals nominated content marketing as one of their top priorities in
2013." – The Branded Content Marketing Association, 2013
For anyone who works in the world of marketing, it can seem as though it is hard to avoid content marketing.
The above are but a small selection of the typical headlines that are bouncing around at the moment. They
are testament to the heat and excitement that this form of marketing is currently generating. While it may be
all too easy to get swept up in the buzz of new opportunities, as with all new big marketing ideas, it is
important to take a step back and consider whether this is something that is truly appropriate for the
business. No one would deny that content marketing does have value, but there are potential risks and costs
that could outweigh possible gains. This means that pausing before jumping on the bandwagon has merit.
This report will provide an overview of the content marketing landscape. It aims to:
 Give a sense of what is meant by content marketing and its history.
 Analyze the driving forces behind the recent rise of content marketing.
 Describe examples of where content marketing has been used to good effect and where its value is
more questionable.
 Provide a review of the processes and players that are involved in content marketing.
 Discuss emerging issues and future developments.

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 Offer conclusions, exploring risks and opportunities for FMCG businesses that wish to make the most
of content marketing.
Definitions
Not only is content marketing buzzy, it is also fuzzy. As a dynamic area, what it covers and consists of often
changes as agencies and individuals develop new ideas and opportunities. Although content marketing in
some forms has existed for many decades, as the below section describes, the modern incarnations of
content marketing are linked to the rise of the Internet, and social media in particular. Because of this, it is
easy to conflate digital marketing, social marketing, and content marketing.
A simple and engaging definition, which differentiates content marketing from other established forms of
marketing, has been devised by David Meerman Scott, author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR:
"You can buy attention (advertising). You can beg for attention from the media (PR). You can bug
people one at a time to get attention (sales). Or you can own attention by creating something
interesting and valuable and then publishing it online for free."
The Content Marketing Institute (CMI), interviewed for this report, provides what it describes as a "formal
definition":
"Content marketing is the marketing and business process for creating and distributing relevant and
valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience –
with the objective of driving profitable customer action. A content marketing strategy can leverage all
story channels (print, online, in-person, mobile, social, etc.), be employed at any and all stages of the
buying process, from attention-oriented strategies to retention and loyalty strategies, and include
multiple buying groups."
As the industry matures, different aspects of content marketing become distinct. Already, there is a bright
bubble of terms that are being bandied around in the content marketing space. These are captured in the
below figure.