Before too many readers start hyperventilating, let me clarify that this statement is not meant to be taken seriously, but rather to symbolize the paradigm shift in content marketing.
I repeatedly get the impression that despite the last few years, millions of articles, and countless conferences, the topic of “strategic content marketing” has not yet really caught on with many marketers and companies.
There is that cheeky saying: “Topic XY is like sex in your teenage years. Everyone talks about it. Nobody really knows how it works. Everyone thinks the others are doing it, so everyone claims they’re doing it too.” Content marketing often follows a similar pattern. But why does content marketing fail in everyday practice? Why is it so difficult for many organizations to implement? The thesis: because many marketers still think too much from the ego-driven perspective of their own product.
Content Marketing – Everyone Talks About Something Different
In an interview with Falk Hedemann “Warum Content-Marketing in vielen Unternehmen auf der Stelle tritt” one of the key messages was that every company and every marketer actually has their own definition of content marketing. Apart from the lowest common denominator, which is that content marketing is content that informs, advises, and entertains, everyone likes to add their own twist based on their industry. Then buzzwords such as inbound marketing, social media, storytelling, lead generation, etc., etc., etc. are added. And—without going into detail—everyone is right in a way. All these keywords—and many, many more—orbit around the topic of content marketing like satellites. The strategy mentioned in the interview, or rather the often lacking strategy, including undefined responsibilities, lack of budget, and other internal company factors, are not wrong in principle and definitely need to be considered.
But wait: in my opinion, in order to gain a fundamental understanding of content marketing, analysis should begin much earlier in the development process. Before we talk about strategic and operational alignment, corporate structures, budget, expertise, core story, ROI, key figures, etc., we should start where content marketing is “born.” In the mind of the marketer – or even in the mind of the management.
The famous other side of the desk
Some time ago, while out walking, I had a few thoughts on this topic and reflected on my professional experience to date, as well as reports from the internet. For me, content marketing—from a purely psychological point of view—has to do with a paradigm shift in mindset as a first and decisive step. There is often talk of focusing on the prospect or their pain points—also known as customer centricity. In other words, understanding what the customer wants and needs, incorporating this into the customer journey, and offering it to the prospect at the right time. Actually, that’s all correct. But to understand this, marketers literally have to change sides of the desk. And that’s exactly what many marketing managers find extremely difficult.
Admittedly, many marketers have never really learned this, and it actually completely contradicts general corporate thinking. We—that is, the employees of a company—were hired to move the company forward and “sell” its products and services. All of this is the focus and is constantly drummed into us through monthly and annual figures. And in principle, there is nothing wrong with that. The raison d’être of a company is to take in more money than it spends “at the end of the day” – simple as that. And every employee must do their part to achieve this.
Hence the bold thesis: content marketing is (also) content that does not aim to sell and that could lead readers to buy from competitors.
We marketers have learned that, by and large, we have to “sell.” It’s about generating revenue directly or indirectly, which will hopefully turn into profit (including our own paychecks, of course). Often, it’s about higher, faster, further. Content marketing completely breaks with this behavior that we have learned over decades. At least at first glance.
Content marketing means moving away from the product and toward the topic
First and foremost, a content marketing manager must undergo a mental paradigm shift, realizing that their company, product, and services are not the center of the universe and that customers and prospects are not interested in hearing the latest news from the company’s ego-driven perspective. Prospects are primarily interested in solving their own personal problems (keyword: buyer persona).
Some time ago, Antje Seeling wrote an interesting anecdote about how a wine merchant did everything wrong when addressing his customers. Antje Seeling describes how this wine merchant talks (egocentrically) about his wines and their merits in his own newsletter. However, what would have been much more appropriate in this situation would have been, for example, foods (meat, fish, game, vegetarian, etc.) or situations (birthdays, aperitifs, romantic dates, etc.) that the wines would go well with. So the “wine drinker” doesn’t have the problem of wanting great wine at a good price, but rather that he or she doesn’t know which wine to buy for which occasion. That is his or her pain point. Of course, quality and price almost always play a role (too), but only at a secondary level. A good grape variety is undoubtedly important, but it does not answer the question of whether the wine goes well with fish or whether its acidity will cause heartburn on a romantic date.
A kind of “configurator” that creates personalized recommendations based on the types of wine you have seen on your friends’ shelves would also be a great option.
I would even go one step further. People don't buy the hole in the wall or the picture hanging on the wall. People buy the (hopefully) warm feeling they get when they look at the great picture on the wall.
Digression: Away from the product and toward the topic, or why I am a fan of the marketing departments of professional adult websites
Marketing departments in the adult industry find it very difficult or impossible to advertise/market the “original product” and are therefore forced to find other marketing channels – both legally and morally/socially. In recent years, this has led to some very exciting marketing campaigns on professional websites. The question is: How can I get the media and people (customers?) to talk positively about me as a company without mentioning my product? Or, as in this case, when my product is viewed critically by part of the population due to its nature?
PornHub (one of the market leaders) is a master at breaking new ground. The marketing department has discovered, for example, that many customers use the portal while traveling—i.e., in hotels. However, hotel Wi-Fi networks harbor a certain degree of technical uncertainty (hackers, data protection, etc.). So PornHub has launched its own regular VPN service, which in theory can also be used (freemium model) without using the original product. Also legendary were the swimming trunks or free accounts for an entire village in Austria.
When COVID-19 was raging and people had to stay at home due to lockdowns, first all northern Italians and then all Italians were allowed to use the entire website for free – including the premium area. A list of promotions can be found at Onlinemarketing.de and WuV.de (i.e., highly official media sites).
When it comes to community building, Pornhub is also light years ahead of other companies in some respects. T-shirts – classic merchandise items – are worn in public and people advertise for free on social media.
Of course, even in this “product-decoupled marketing,” everything still revolves around the product or service, because at the end of the day, Pornhub wants to make money too.
Pornhub’s own video production is also exciting, showing what you would expect to see in a film of this kind, but everything takes place on a beach that is completely littered with trash. Pornhub wants to draw attention to the pollution of the oceans and has therefore named the film “Dirtiest Porn Ever” (Welt.de). This means that an adult website has probably done more for environmental protection than three-quarters of all companies.
Or as Awaria.com writes about Pornhub marketing: “Marketing campaigns you can’t not talk about.”
While I was writing these lines, a crazy marketing idea came to mind. The lines should actually have read: Even if Pornhub were to plant trees, which at first glance has nothing to do with the original product, they would come up with a suitable campaign for it. For example, “A man must build a house, father a child, and plant a tree in his lifetime. We’ve taken care of the tree, you have to do the rest yourself.” – or something like that. And the whole thing was meant more as a joke. However, during my research, I discovered that Pornhub already has a “reforestation program” – A REFORESTATION PROGRAM. It also has a fundraising campaign for the protection of bees, pandas, and whales. And all of these campaigns are produced in such a way that they naturally contribute to the product and the brand, making them clearly marketing efforts that “at the end of the day” bring in money.
Last but not least, this example also provides an exciting insight into how new products such as VPN services are launched based on user numbers – i.e., a market and figures analysis by the marketing department. But that’s another story.
Back to the thesis: Content marketing: Write for the competition
Antje Seeling’s wine example illustrates what I mean by “write for the competition.” The reader can thankfully take the wine recommendation and go shopping at the supermarket around the corner – or worse, at the direct competitor. This is a danger that – purely theoretically – always exists in content marketing. Content marketing involves “free” and useful information – i.e., information that is directly usable for the reader. The company makes an upfront investment. This upfront investment can then, under certain circumstances, also be “stolen.” Spoiler: The advantages of content marketing far outweigh the disadvantages.
The same applies to the classics of content marketing. I can use the Michelin road atlas even if I don’t drive Michelin tires. I can bake the recipes in Dr. Oetker’s baking book even if I use no-name products, and I can apply the fertilizer tips in John Deere’s magazine “Die Ackerfurche” even if I don’t drive a John Deere tractor.
Anyone who wants to understand the fundamental nature of content marketing must undergo this psychological paradigm shift. Without this “new” minimum (John Deere’s magazine “The Furrow” was first published in 1895), content marketing will always remain just one online marketing technique among many and, at best, be shallow tactical content marketing. A honeypot for leads. But content marketing can be so much more. To achieve this, we need not only know-how but also trust (which in this context does not mean the absence of figures and controlling). So be brave, dear content marketers. It’s worth it for you, your company, and the quality of the internet.
Additional information and classification:
Very often (actually always), marketing in general is about ROI and the “numerical burden of proof” for the success of campaigns. And in content marketing in particular, it’s about tools and techniques such as lead generation, touchpoints, core stories, etc. There are already several good articles on this subject.
The aim of this article is not to portray content marketing as a playful and dreamy “rainbow marketing technique,” but rather to highlight the crucial philosophical and conceptual shift that must take place in the minds of marketing managers and CEOs in order to understand the essence of content marketing from the ground up. Before we talk about departmental hierarchies, processes, tools, content forms, topics, channels, ROI, controlling, budget, etc., this invisible switch must be flipped. Otherwise, content marketing will wither away into a cargo cult.
* Mirko Lange’s example with the hole in the wall is, of course, appropriate when it comes to search intent (SEO) on Google and other search engines. Users are not searching for “a warm feeling when looking at a picture” but rather for “how do I hang a picture on the wall” or “how do I drill a hole in the wall.” Then the mental image of the “hole in the wall” is, of course, correct again and crucial for strategic content marketing and distribution or findability.
EDIT Nov. 2025: In a LinkedIn post at the end of November, Falk Hedemann made a nice comparison with a party.
