Content is not a new Concept

Aboisso 800px-Pancho_Villa_Expedition<_Around_the_Campfire_HD-SN-99-02005.JPEGJust when you think you’ve cracked the code to creating a successful communications strategy, things change. Whether it’s big data, UGC, virality, influencers, followers, fans…the communications landscape is fast-paced and ever-evolving (and full of buzzwords).  In the midst of change, it’s important as an agency to take a step back and understand how we got here.

Horten Backbone Media’s business model was built on telling memorable, authentic stories about the products, people and places we love. When you have great stories, you want to tell them, enjoy them, and maybe learn something along the way. This is a pretty basic concept, but one that won’t ever change because it’s based on a meaningful interaction.

ContentKing

More and more we’re hearing that “content is king,” “content is the new social currency,” and “content is the center of communications.” What is content? To us, it’s a great story, a memorable message or a shared experience. We want to help craft these stories in an authentic and compelling way, and we want to share them with the world. The only difference with telling brand stories today versus five or even two years ago is that these stories can now be multidimensional­ with, images, videos, animation, infographics and editorial. Change in the media medium is inevitable and attention spans may be depleting, but the value of good storytelling stays the same.

At Backbone, content isn’t a new trend we’re chasing—it’s something we’ve always been all about. It’s the heart and passion of our business. It’s a PR manager taking editors backcountry skiing in the Wasatch or fly-fishing in Argentina to build a story about that experience. It’s our digital team putting a great consumer testimonial into an ad unit and delivering it to a targeted audience across various media platforms. It’s our social team developing a hashtag strategy to bring a community together to be a part of the brand story.

We’re doing it right. We’re always adapting to change and new technology, but most importantly, we’re staying rooted in the basics—telling great stories. And to me, that’s the most refreshing and human approach to communications.

2 Thoughts on “Content is not a new Concept

  1. holly…my name is bobby and i think we know someone in common. karen shared your blog post with me…and you are spot. i am really spending lots of time trying to define what is considered “good” content. what is the dna of individuals who know how to write, create, generate good content in a space full of content.

    this idea makes me think back to one of my favorite teachers, bob dotson of nbc news. he spent lots of time talking about the layers of good stories. he would explain…anyone call tell just a story…but great storytellers tell stories with layers. they share these layers, peeling one back a little at a time…share themes, content, ideas, visual imagery in a way that creates a documentary.

    i like this idea of tell stories with layers…thus creating great content.

    thanks for this great post! ~br

  2. Holly Potter on February 18, 2014 at 3:46 pm said:

    Thank you, Bobby, for sharing your wisdom and passion for great storytelling!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Post Navigation