Content strategy is a planning process for creating, organizing, and governing content across various experiences. It involves determining the optimal ways to deliver and structure useful, usable content. While search volumes for terms like "social media" have drastically increased in recent years, searches for "content strategy" have also grown significantly, indicating it is an increasingly important concept. The document discusses the need for a clear content strategy and messaging architecture when developing digital experiences and marketing campaigns.

1. The Elephant in the Room -
Content Strategy
What is it and why we need it?

2. The idea of an “Elephant in a Room” would be impossible to overlook;
a problem that everyone knows very well but no one talks about
because it’s a looming big one.

3. What is Content Strategy?
● It’s the Planning for the creation,
aggregation, delivery, and
governance of useful, usable and
appropriate content in an
experience -- Kristina Halvorson
● It’s not copywriting, It’s not
technical writing, or Content
marketing
● It is text, images, video, audio,
and social media.

4. The Numbers Don’t Lie
● Content strategy is, in fact, the next big thing
● Here’s a look at Google search returns for “Social Media” over the past few
years
2005 = 9,150,000
2006 = 41,600,000
2007 = 165,000,000
2008 = 359,000,000
2009 = 1,230,000,000
2010 = 2,150,000,000 so far this year
● Here’s a look at Google search returns for “Content Strategy”
2006 = 5,930,000
2007 = 8,340,000
2008 = 137,000,000
2009 = 337,000,000
2010 = 487,000,000 so far this year

7. Hey, Designers Design
Something Cool!
● How do we visualize design
without key descriptors or
terms?
● Make us look hip or cool
● Well, we have to stay within
brand guidelines – tone it
back
● Make us look cutting edge
but conservative
● More like Apple

8. More like Apple’s
“Messaging Architecture”
● Confident but approachable;
an accessible market leader
● Simple – minimal detail with
clean streamlined, unfussy
ID
● Inviting, friendly, supportive
but not fawning

9. What’s Our Messaging
Architecture?
What’s Our Story?

10. Always on always with you
( It’s a matter of convenience
…I want it now )
It’s your credit It’s your
identity It’s your life
( Having it your way…lifestyle )
It’s 2PM do you know where
your identity is?
( Scare tactics )
Personable & Convenient
Mobile
Companies that do it well:
Apple, Google, AT&T,
“Life”…your way.
Companies that do it well:
SunTrust, Walmart, Kmart,
Coca Cola, Nike, Zendough.com
Fear & Awareness
Companies that do it well:
Allstate, LifeLock
Customer Centric Concepts
Change the Equifax Brand Perception Concepts… “More Traditional”
Not Your Parents Equifax
( Entertaining)
Equifax, So much more
than credit
( More than just credit and id-theft)
Equifax, a trusted partner
( We’ve been around for a while)
Entertaining & engaging
Companies that do it well:
Progressive, Experian
Educational & Expandable
Companies that do it well:
AAA Auto Club, UPS
Emotional, feel good, trust,
we can help you, reliable
Companies that do it well:
Kodak, Home Depot, Lowes,
State Farm

11. How? What’s The Steps?

12. Product Content Lifecycle

13. Lorem ipsum Must Die!
● What is this? Spanish?
● Greeking, placeholder copy,
whatever! It must be killed.
● Need to consider, how our page
structures and layouts support
the content communications.
● Not just the front end but
backend.
● Plan for it early in the process.

14. Squeezin’
5 days
into 15 minutes

15. Imedia Highlights
● Content, Content, Content – Strategy
● Emotional Story Telling – Don’t just deliver
data, tell the story
● Mobile experiences – LBS
● Branded Video connect – Growth
● People – Invest

16. Most talked about Innovation
● Location based check in services
● iPad and Mobile marketing

17. It's not about
building technology.
You have to go out and face consumers
where they are and convince them.
The market is going to continue to change.
Ultimately, the market will always shift to
what consumers want."

18. And this isn’t about
selling more stuff
“…and playing around with digital
technology. This is about building an
information strategy for the future.”
“Build an effective, integrated content strategy
with a redefined portfolio of products.”

19. Where’s The
ROI?
When your CFO asks for the
“Return On Investment” for a
new initiative, what’s the
“Return Of Ignoring” it.

20. Despite the changes in media, advertising
still the business of persuasion,
still in the business of getting a
consumer to change their mind
or change their behavior?

21. Our job is to
change behavior

24. Emotions lead to Actions

25. Nobody counts the
number of ads you
run; they just
remember the
impression you make.
-- Bill Bernbach