Some Manhattan Stories
At the end of October, the international network of national associations for content marketing, the International Content Marketing Forum ICMF, met in Manhattan. The autumn days were still warm and brought with them relaxed yet hot debates about technology and content marketing.
By Viviane Egli
Managing Director, Primafila AG
But let us start with the first of these true stories: The dream team of Primafila’s New York office, Roman and Leane, lure their Swiss guests into the Oyster Bar at Grand Central Terminal. A true dream of a place, a joyful reunion. But oh, vegetarian, very well, then it’ll be vegetables with fries. The waiter throws us a suspicious glance. The Primafila gang jabbers on about content marketing & marketed content & the contents of bank accounts.
Five hours later: Gemma of the US association Content Council is the ICMF’s host this time. But oh: meeting at the Oyster Bar. Really? So be it, we wobble back to Grand Central Terminal to the rhythm of our jetlag. The waiter (a different one), throws us a suspicious glance. No, there is no reservation for any content marketing people. Some deep thinking, some concentrated consulting of Gemma’s papers: Docks Oyster Bar. It isn’t far from Oyster to Oyster… So be it, and we wobble through the colorful evening darkness of Manhattan. And hey presto, there they are, our friends from Belgium, Poland and Norway. For the first time we also have India among us. But oh, vegetarian: vegetables and all things potato. The waitress throws us a pitiful glance.
Communications Week 2016
The next morning: two panels about content marketing and technology at the Communications Week 2016 on Broadway. About artificial intelligence, with intelligent remarks. I listen and learn: “Business-to-business does not mean boring-to-boring.” Immersive journalism and very unvirtual developments. No mindless drivel but clarifying words about content, ethics and everything social media… Technology as a self-evident occurrence and not as one of the wonders of the world. The down-to-earth credo: serving our target groups is the imperative. I have an image of wine and all the tubes in my tired head: The tubes are new and are continuously renewed, while the wine remains the same – but it is the drinking behavior one has to observe very closely… Not only in the Oyster Bars.
Content Marketing Survey 2016
A few hours before our return flight we discuss the international survey on content marketing that is nearly ready for publication: Switzerland stands rather conservatively in the landscape of columns and curves. In Poland, the situation was always a bit more difficult, which is why the voices from there are a bit more spirited; Norway is a tad further away, India even more so; the Belgians nearly as conservatively crazy as Switzerland… Rather illegally we tiptoe up onto the rooftop for a group photo with umbrella.
Viviane Egli is the representative of the tri-national Content Marketing Forum CMF (Austria, Germany, Switzerland) at the International Content Marketing Forum ICMF.
