In this article, we take a look at the evolution of content creation for marketing purposes and understand how far this tactic has come in the digital era - and how much further it can actually go.
The Evolution of Digital Content Creation: Then and Now
The History of Content Creation for Marketing
The first documented content for marketing purposes is universally believed to be The Furrow magazine by John Deere. However, this has been disputed with a online russian phone number small number of historians believing that Benjamin Franklin was the first adopter of this marketing trend. Franklin published Poor Richard’s Almanack in the year 1972 and this was done to promote his printing company - a true marketing innovation for the era. Regardless of what you believe, John Deere and Franklin both used content marketing as a way to promote their businesses and the word “content marketing” didn't even exist yet.
As time went by, businesses began to experiment with the idea of content creation for marketing purposes and creative promotion. Stand out creative content from the time includes the Jell-O Company’s free book of recipes which was published in 1904. This quickly started a trend and content marketing soon became part of every business strategy.
In the 1940s and 1950s, content marketing came to a standstill as the media took control of print and this didn't leave much room for content marketing growth. It then re-emerged in the 1960s and 70s with the advent of home televisions, and this is when the content marketing industry began to flourish.
Content Creation in the Digital Age
Television played a massive role in the growth of content marketing but when computers and the internet were introduced to households, content creation took an incredible turn. Marketers began to explore the possibility of using digital media as a way to build brand awareness, from websites to email marketing.
The first business to launch a commercial website was O’Reilly and Associates. The company launched their site in 1993 and this was the moment when content marketing really began to make an impact. You see, anyone with an internet connection was able to create and publish content and marketers quickly took note.