Dear Jeremy,

I agree that a new buzzword -- and even a genuinely new trend -- offers an opportunity to look to fundamental principles again and see what has been overlooked. That's an excellent point.

And I agree that all marketing efforts would do well to check in on how well they're doing with storytelling, connection, engagement and authenticity.

But I think it's wrong to define content marketing by those characteristics and therefore to erase any difference between it and other marketing tactics and therefore to dismiss it as buzz.

For many, the defining characteristic of content marketing tactics are usefulness for the target audience, in the absence of a promotional message, for the purposes of growing engagement and ultimately growing the business.

Meanwhile there are other time-tested marketing tactics that don't necessarily prioritize utility and that rightfully should have promotional messages. They might have fundamental values like good storytelling in common with content marketing, but that doesn't mean there isn't any other differentiation.

-Robert McGuire
McGuire Editorial & Consulting