Infographic: The History of Content Marketing

Next time someone scoffs at the importance of content marketing, feel free to tell them they’re not just a few years behind. They’re 284 years behind.

As Content Marketing Institute reports in its new infographic, “A Brief History of Content Marketing,” the oldest example of content marketing dates all the way back to 1732. That’s when Benjamin Franklin first published his annual “Poor Richard’s Almanack” to promote his printing business. Makes you think twice about labeling brand publishers as innovative, doesn’t it? (Just kidding. Many brand publishers are breaking new ground in content marketing, but, evidently, they’re also carrying the torch of a centuries-old tradition.)

Back to the timeline, it seems the publicists of Parisian bookstore Librairie Galignani were also content superstars in the 1800s, having opened a reading room, published original books, and launched a newspaper with articles from influential authors. Fast forward about 200 years and you can almost imagine what the Librairie’s content strategy might include today: a brand blog and email newsletter, perhaps, featuring guest posts from writers with impressive online audiences.

If this infographic proves anything, it’s that while the tools we use to tell stories might change, the power of storytelling stands the test of time.