Among the many buzzwords making the rounds in marketing circles these days is “content marketing,” which comes with a variety of definitions, but “basically, content marketing is the art of communicating with your customers and prospects without selling.” (Content Marketing Institute, 2013).
One product I’ve found that uses this idea of content marketing brilliantly is NBC’s popular television show Parks and Recreation. The show, which chronicles the life of small-town councilwoman Leslie Knope (played by Amy Poehler) and her peculiar friends and co-workers in the fictional city of Pawnee, Indiana. What makes the content marketing for Parks and Rec so effective is how it takes the key elements of the product (characters and storylines) and allows them to live online in ways that make viewers spend more time on them and drive ratings for the show.
screen capture of the “campaign” website created for Parks and Recreation character Leslie Knope’s run for Pawnee City Council
Some of the tactics employed in this strategy have a small e-commerce angle, like the shop on Ron Swanson’s Grilling Webpage (pictured below), which offers barbecue sauce, an apron and t-shirts. Others are aimed purely at further engaging viewers, like a Pinterest board for the wedding of characters Ben and Leslie or a “coming soon” page for Rent-A-Swag, the business idea of the show’s serial entrepreneur, Tom. These micro-sites come in addition to the show’s official Tumblr and other social media pages like Twitter and Facebook, tactics which have become commonplace for many television shows.
screen capture from ronswansongrill.com
What impressed me about these content marketing tactics is how much they reflect the show itself and what viewers love about it. Characters who might not get much screen time in the 22-minute episodes cultivate fan bases online in a way that feels absolutely authentic, due in large part to the show’s concerted efforts to have the same writers and producers who do the show also create these social media and content marketing vehicles.
What do you think? Is this an effective use of NBC’s resources to promote the show? Are there ways other organizations can tell their stories like this? What are the implications for brands that might not be as story-centric as television shows?
Lots to consider. If you’re looking for me, I’ll be taking Mr. Swanson’s advice: exiting my computer and learning to grill like a man.
References
Bishop, R. (2013, February 27). Parks and Recreation wedding album’s the best use of Pinterest yet [blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.geekosystem.com/parks-and-rec-wedding-album/.
Content Marketing Institute. (2013). What is content marketing? [blog post]. Retrieved from http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/what-is-content-marketing/.
Contentlead. (2013, January 21). Small businesses can learn from Parks and Recreation’s content vision [blog post]. Retrieved from http://contentlead.com/news/small-businesses-can-learn-from-parks-and-recreations-content-vision.
Feeney, N. (2013, February 28). How Parks and Rec brings Pawnee to life online. Time.com. Retrieved from http://entertainment.time.com/2013/02/28/how-parks-and-rec-brings-pawnee-to-life-online/.
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