The rise of new content forms

from The Marketing Companion · host Mark Schaefer and Tom Webster

One of my predictions for 2015 was that the incredible wave of information density we all face as marketers will force innovation in content forms. Let's face it, the way we create and consume content has not changed significantly in a decade. The need to stand out will finally force companies to help us create and consume in new ways. And change is in the air. A few new ideas are percolating out there and that is just one of the subjects covered in a very entertaining episode of The Marketing Companion (how many podcasts feature McDonald's characters, an imitation of Ringo Starr and talking apples in the same show?). Here are some of the topics on our mind as Tom Webster and I explore the depths of marketing goodness and light: New content forms. Yahoo is preparing to release its first major consumer product in almost three years and the first product built from scratch under CEO Marissa Mayer. The company is said to be unveiling a mobile app that combines live and recorded video and text, blending aspects of live video apps like Meerkat, YouNow and Skype and the recorded video messages popularized by Snapchat. Can this revolutionize video storytelling? What about the hot new video creation app Storie? It allows you to easily piece together video stories on a smartphone. New audio apps Opinion and Spreaker are creating what amounts to audio text messaging. And of course Meerkat and Periscope have ushered in the era of video streaming -- and some legal concerns (The NHL recently announced a ban on streaming apps at their games). Facebook is here to stay -- We discuss new research that shows (once again) there is no mass evacuation from Facebook. We have a discussion on Facebook and the apparent stranglehold they have on teens. Tom discusses why a Facebook account is the new driver's license. Finally some good news on the publishing front -- A newspaper success story? YES! Learn how the Harrisburg Patriot-News and its Penn Live site is the leading the way with a social-media-first news strategy. An inspirational and bold strategy! And what about the Google network? Last week, Google announced that it is working with carriers Sprint and T-Mobile to offer a wireless service that will seamlessly switch between Wi-Fi hotspots and 4G LTE cellular networks called Project Fi. The move isn't likely to threaten the dominance of Verizon and AT&T, by far the two largest carriers in the nation, but it's potentially a big deal to the cable companies. We discuss the innovation ... and the idea that Google may finally have to pay attention to customer service. Podcasting -- The best advertising investment? Tom and I discuss the fact that advertising becomes trusted content on a podcast -- could podcasting become the most valuable advertising ever? Can it scale? And if that were not enough, we also reveal a gigantic gShift giveaway -- The first 50 podcast fans to hit the Marketing Companion landing page and register for a cool eBook will get a copy of The Content Code for free! We also unveil a big discount for a new Marketing Profs writing course! Now, you're probably wondering, how did we fit all that in a 30 minute podcast? Well, push play to find out! Resources mentioned in this show Forbes article: Podcasts Are Doing To Advertising What Uber Has Done To Transportation Don Imus Chat app Kik. Pew research on teens and social media. Please support our extraordinary sponsors. Our content is free because of their generosity. The Marketing Writing Bootcamp is our most popular course from MarketingProfs University and as a podcast fan you can get $200 off the normal $595 price. The course is 13 classes, each 30-40 minutes in length, for more than 7 hours of on-demand learning. Learn from your desk, on your commute, or your couch. The course begins June 11. You will be awarded a certificate from Marketing Profs upon completion of course. Register through this special link: http://mprofs.com/companion. gShift's Web Presence Analytics platform provides agencies and brands with search, social and mobile content marketing data in one place. Monitor and report on an entire web presence. Create smarter, faster content through gShift's proprietary data. Report on the engagement and performance of your content marketing investment. Our podcast is also brought to you by Voices Heard Media. Please check out this tremendous resource for scaling social media engagement. Take a look at building an engaged and relevant audience through innovative new games, contests, analytics, polling platforms, and other innovations.

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