content marketing vs world-building — kening zhu

In World Building, Danco argued that yes, everything is sales, but sales isn’t enough. You need to build worlds. In a world of “abundant narrative and complex choices… You need to build a world so rich and captivating that others will want to spend time in it, even if you’re not there.”

build a world, not a marketing funnel

But I absolutely loathe the term content marketing because it sounds so contrived. It sounds like something planned and measured and designed where I don't think that's where the interesting lessons are. I do not think, what is it that the audience exactly wants to hear? That's not where you're gonna get the good stuff. I think the good stuff comes... See more

I often think and write about the importance of “world building” in today’s mixed-media reality: Brands have more control than ever over where and how consumers experience their point of view, from digital feeds and properties to packaging design and retail merchandising. And with that comes many new opportunities to build emotional texture.

• The long tail of the internet has provided a way for sovereign creators
  
  and businesses to ‘
  
  niche at scale
  
  ‘ in ways not possible at any other time in history, fostering unparalleled creativity and innovation;


• The quality of an audience matters;


• Being tiny is mighty;


• Delighting the weird is a superpower;


• When you build a business, you’re building a new

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