The Evolution of Content Marketing Over the Years

Content marketing is a dynamic industry. Trends and tactics are constantly changing, but the core principles remain consistent.

In the 1920s, Sears-Roebuck and Company used radio to create a show that gave farmers advice while advertising their products. This was one of the first examples of brand storytelling.

Jell-O’s recipe guide in The Ladies Home Journal was a form of targeted content marketing that helped boost sales.

The Origins

In the late 1990s, when businesses began adding websites and blogs to their marketing strategies, content marketers had to come up with new ways to engage audiences on these channels. This shift increased the demand for content that was not only informative but also visually engaging and shareable on timelines and feeds.

It is easy to forget that what we think of as content marketing today was not always a thing. Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose from the Content Marketing Institute note that Benjamin Franklin’s yearly Poor Richard’s Almanack was one of the first forms of content marketing, publishing useful information to promote his printing business.

Other examples include tyre brand Michelin’s release of the Michelin Guide in 1900. This publication was a useful resource for drivers and encouraged people to use it, which drove more traffic to Michelin and boosted sales of tyres.

In 1904, Jell-O started publishing ads in The Ladies Home Journal as they understood that the American housewife was their target demographic and this saw rise to purposeful audience targeting which is still used by content marketers today. Energy drink company Red Bull also spearheaded a change in the content marketing landscape by creating its own content experiences and company extensions in 2013. This helped it to save money while expanding its reach, setting a precedent that is still followed today by many brands.

The Mid-1990s

As the World Wide Web took hold, companies began to publish content that would be seen by consumers. Performance metrics like traffic volume became a focus, as businesses sought to gain traction on search engine results pages.

In the 1920s, Jell-O used a marketing content strategy that included targeted advertising in The Ladies Home Journal to garner interest from its desired audience (American housewives). This was one of the first examples of purposeful targeting and set a precedent for utilizing different messaging in various channels.

The 1990s brought a new wave of growth to content marketing as the internet and computers became a staple in modern life. Businesses were able to use platforms like YouTube and Yelp to publish content that could reach a global audience, and they could measure success using metrics like website traffic.

Some companies were even able to branch out into creating content experiences and company-owned media outlets that went beyond websites. For example, energy drink brand Red Bull started a YouTube channel and content studio called “Red Bull Media House” in 2013 to expand its content marketing into movies, events, and other media that highlighted their passion for extreme sports and activities like mountain biking, BMX, cliff-diving, freestyle motocross, and skateboarding.

The Early 2000s

In the early 2000s, brands started experimenting with new ways to communicate. Companies like Johnson & Johnson established BabyCenter, an online community dedicated to pregnancy and child development, while American Express set up OPEN Forum as a resource for small businesses seeking financial and startup assistance. The internet becoming a household commodity in the late 1990s also helped to make content marketing more common among businesses. It enabled them to connect with audiences through blogs and email campaigns, while the rise of social media platforms called for content that was visually appealing for timelines and feeds.

While marketing through content had been around for more than 200 years, it didn’t get its own name until 1996 when John F. Oppendahl coined the term during a roundtable discussion at an American Society of Newspaper Editors conference. Despite having a name, content marketing didn’t become mainstream until the 1990s when brands like John Deere released The Furrow, a magazine aimed at agricultural equipment farmers.

This era also saw the rise of video marketing as one of the most effective content strategies. It enabled brands to create empathetic and meaningful experiences for their audiences, which can be hard to do through written content alone. As a result, a variety of new video formats have come to the fore, such as live-streaming, quizzes, and infographics.

The Late 2000s

The late 2000s saw a major shift in the content marketing landscape. With the internet becoming a household commodity and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter growing in popularity, marketers had to adapt their content strategies.

Companies began creating and distributing information in the form of blog posts, infographics, and videos in an effort to reach their audiences on multiple platforms. Video grew to be one of the most important content marketing mediums, and it is expected that this will continue to grow in importance in the future.

In addition to incorporating more audio and visual content, companies began focusing on hyper-personalization and interactive marketing. This included using tools like CopyPress’s content analysis report and voice and visual search features to create content that meets customers where they are at in the buying cycle.

Content marketing continues to be a crucial strategy for businesses of all types and sizes. It helps build brand awareness, drive traffic, increase sales and engagement, and cultivate loyal customers. To succeed at it, marketers must continually evolve their content, measure its effectiveness, and polish their strategies as needed. This is how they will continue to stay ahead of their competition.

The 2010s

Increasingly, buyers avoid traditional marketing tactics like sales pitches and opt to make informed purchase decisions by researching the product or service they need on their own. In this environment, content marketing is an essential way for businesses to establish themselves as the premier voice in their industry and build trust with customers.

This approach involves creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. Unlike traditional marketing, which often costs time and money with little to no ROI, a well-defined content strategy can have significant long-term impact on revenue and customer acquisition.

One example of this is Red Bull, which uses content marketing to drive brand awareness by publishing YouTube videos and hosting experiences around extreme sports such as cliff-diving, mountain biking, BMX, freestyle motocross, and skateboarding. Red Bull focuses on humanizing the brand and promoting its core values to the audience, which helps increase trust with prospective customers. This also encourages advocacy among current customers and incentivizes them to recommend the company’s products to friends (for example, the Red Bull eSports league). Another example is Jackson Galaxy, who uses his podcast and Cat from Hell show to provide helpful tips for cat owners to get along better with their pets.

The Present

In the present day, marketers continue to use content marketing as a way to connect with their target audience. By providing valuable information, entertaining and inspiring audiences, brands can build trust and develop long-term loyalty. However, modern content marketing isn’t just about delivering messages; it is also about the right format and channel for each message.

In 2021, a growing number of companies are leveraging video as an integral part of their content marketing strategy. Video is a powerful medium that can deliver compelling storytelling, create emotional impact and capture attention. The key is to produce videos that are relevant to your target market and that align with your brand.

As the industry continues to evolve, one thing is clear: The future of content marketing is bright. As marketers focus on creating a seamless experience that aligns with their brands’ values, they will continue to see the power of content as an effective tool for building trust and long-term loyalty. While the past provides a rich history of what has worked and what hasn’t, it is important to always look ahead and remain open to new trends. After all, you never know where the next big opportunity will lie.