History of Content Marketing

Content Marketing comes in many forms: news, video, white papers, e-books, infographics, case studies, how-to guides, question and answer articles, photos, etc.^[1][2][3]

Advertising has long used content to disseminate information about a brand, and build a brand's reputation. In 1891, August Oetker sold small packages of his Backin baking powder to households with recipes printed on the back. In 1911 he started publishing his very successful cookbook. It went through major updates over past 100 years and is one of the most successful cookbooks, globally reaching 19 million printed copies. All recipes originated from the test kitchen of the Oetker company, and the book was carefully written as a textbook to teach cooking from scratch. Oetker was very aware of the need for good marketing, practical communication and use of his doctor title to lend authority to his marketing.

In 1895, John Deere launched the magazine The Furrow, providing information to farmers on how to become more profitable. The magazine, considered the first custom publication, is still in circulation, reaching 1.5 million readers in 40 countries in 12 different languages.^[4]

Michelin developed the Michelin Guide in 1900, offering drivers information on auto maintenance, accommodations, and other travel tips. 35,000 copies were distributed for free in this first edition.^[5]

Jell-O salesmen went door-to-door, distributing their cookbook for free in 1904. Touting the dessert as a versatile food, the company saw its sales rise to over $1 million by 1906.^[6]

The phrase "content marketing" was used as early as 1996,^[7] when John F. Oppedahl led a roundtable for journalists at the American Society for Newspaper Editors. In 1998, Jerrell Jimerson held the title of "director of online and content marketing" at Netscape.^[8] In 1999, author Jeff Cannon wrote,“In content marketing, content is created to provide consumers with the information they seek.”^[9]

Recently, content marketing has become more prominent, especially where digital and online marketing is concerned. Seth Godin, American author and Marketeer stated in 2008 that 'content marketing was the only marketing left.'^[10]

By 2014, Forbes Magazine's website had written about the 7 most popular ways companies use content marketing.^[11] In it, the columnist points out that by 2013, use of content marketing had jumped across corporations from 60% a year or so before, to 93%^[12] as part of their overall marketing strategy. Despite the fact that 70% of organizations are creating more content, only 21% of marketers think they are successful at tracking ROI.^[13]