Is Content Still King?

Content is King. Bill Gates' famous affirmation in the early days of the Internet. It was a great explanation of a concept that content producers were likely already thinking/saying for decades prior to the arrival of the Internet. The proliferation and success of bloggers, youtube stars, and other micro producers have confirmed his assertion that the Internet would level the playing field.

The Internet transformed the distribution world by enabling anyone to become a producer, then eliminating barriers between producers and consumers. Entire industries and global companies were founded on this paradigm ( Search/Google ). It was transformative. And yet, the underlying mechanism for consumers to find content remained mostly the same. Pull. A consumer initiates the interaction and somehow stumbles upon your message.

Twenty-plus years after Content Is King, is a new king ready to emerge? Will the pull dynamic between consumer/producer shift? The advent of always-on, always connected, location and activity sensing smartphones and wearables suggests another heir is ready to take the crown. Certainly there are still logistical, infrastructure, and privacy concerns that need to be addressed before this becomes a reality.

But imagine a world where you can engage a receptive audience at a relevant moment. Imagine PUSH-ing your message to your audience when it matters most.

The future sounds amazing, but how can a producer capitalize on context with existing technology and user behavior. A fair approximation of 'context' can be gleaned today using social signals, we can discern several pieces of contextual information including location, interest, and personal information.

For example, by employing real time social tools, you could follow all the fan activity at a stadium during game day. Listen and engage with your audience as the game ebbs and flows. Promote the jersey of a player that just scored. Highlight the beverage or food that people are buzzing most about. Give special offers and discounts for in-stadium fans.

Content remains important as ever. But in this new world, "Context" will be the game changer.

In future articles, we'll explore tools and techniques that enable you to leverage context in your engagement strategies.

Let us know how you intend on leveraging context in your engagements.