1. Is there a difference between “content marketing” and “brand journalism”?
I do think there is a difference, if only because as a journalist, I define brand journalism differently. Having worked for Red Barn Media Group for the last decade and being exposed both to some of the best writers and shooters in the field, and to our own disciplined approach to brand-j which we call Advanced Content®, I’ve come to impose some strict requirements on brand journalism:
• Does the piece address a customer need in a way that makes it useful, serviceable or enlightening?
• Does it establish credibility both for the sources in the story and for the source of the content itself (the brand)?
• And does it connect the customer to the brand in a way that is helpful to both?
The first two bullets are what the best journalism does. The third is unique to brand journalism. “Content marketing” seems too broad to me to meet these criteria.