Creative content lessons from the past

Early this week I was privileged to get up close and personal not only with one of the RAF’s fast jets – a Typhoon – but also inside the hanger where the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight keeps and maintains its priceless collection of aircraft.

One of those is a Lancaster bomber. It is one of only two airworthy examples (the other is in Canada) in the world.

john lancaster

This all came about because the RAF cares about its past, and the people who made up its history, and allowed me to visit in memory of my Dad who served as aircrew in a Lancaster during WW2.

Content, in this case anyway, is so much more than words on a screen.

In this context, content is the metal and fabric inside the hanger and the people who fly and maintain these aircraft.

The BBMF, in common with curators at the Imperial War Museum and other places where history may be observed, cherishes artefacts which it then uses as content for digital and other media.

An outstanding example thudded onto my desk two weeks ago.

As part of its preparations for the 100 year anniversary of the start of WW1, the IWM has published an extraordinary book called ‘Mapping The First World War’.

The Museum sent out an e-shot and invited recipients to sign-up for its WW1 mailings in the build-up to August 2014. If you signed-up you were entered into a draw to receive a free copy of this book. I did and I did.

It came with a personal comps slip, signed by a real person whom I could contact to say thank you.

This is social media communication and marketing working perfectly.

Is this how your social and content marketing works? Does your content engage and deliver a positive result? Or are you still re-wording sales brochures and ‘one size fits all’ marketing campaigns?

We can help you if that’s where your comms and content marketing is right now.