“Content Marketing” voted ANA’s 2015 Marketing Word of the Year

Content marketing is the ANA’s (Association of National Advertisers) 2015 Marketing Word of the Year based on votes cast by 297 of its marketer members.

This is the second consecutive year the ANA surveyed its members to identify the Marketing Word of the Year. Members chose from 13 words that also included ad blocking, customer journey, disruption, experiential, fraud, the Internet of Things, mediapalooza, sharing economy, and viewability.

Here’s what some of content marketing’s supporters had to say about their choice.

•     It’s all about content that resonates with the customer.
•     I hear it everywhere — see companies shifting budgets — it’s the content that allows us to super-target consumers. Content marketing is one-to-one marketing on steroids.
•     Content, from a marketing perspective, was always an important tool in a marketer’s toolbox, but it has taken on such an elevated importance lately that it deserves the top spot. As its importance has grown, so too has it evolved from communications in digital and social spaces to a holistic and strategic POV on all materials delivered to consumers in any channel.
•     Content is so important to what we do now. In my B-to-B company that’s still what drives marketing. Content, in the way of thought leadership, is king!
•     Content marketing is endemic across all areas of marketing.
•     Consumer engagement has become the most critical aspect of our marketing efforts. Content, specifically quality content, is colossal to achieving this engagement.

“The selection of content marketing as ANA Word of the Year wasn’t surprising, as we’ve seen lots of interest throughout the year in various ANA discussions and forums on the topic,” says Bill Duggan, ANA group EVP. “Members are realizing that ‘content’ provides the means for engagement and ‘marketing’ is required to drive awareness of content — so the resulting combination of ‘content marketing’ is powerful.”