Content and the Pied Piper.

In Steve Martin’s autobiography, Born Standing Up, he recalls the epiphany, born from a prickly idea, that sprouted his wildly successful style, and changed the landscape for comedians and their audiences.

“Finally, I understood the cummings quote I puzzled over in college: ‘Like the burlesque comedian, I am abnormally fond of that precision which creates movement.’ Precision was moving the plot forward , was filling every moment with content, was keeping the audience engaged.”

In the late sixties, Martin realized that the traditional comic method was not only tired and predictable, but didn’t guarantee or maximize the results sought by the performer, and in turn, the audience.  Set-up, joke, punchline, laughter– it’s like waiting for the doctor to hammer the reflex, expecting that kick in the air.  If it’s a miss, the comic fails, and the audience remains unaffected.

With poetic cleverness, Martin found a way to circumvent that approach.  By filling every moment with content, the laughter could roll in at any time.  By providing opportunities for laughter at any point during a joke, the audience had permission to laugh when they wanted.  No one was listlessly waiting for the half-hearted applause sign to alight– they were fully engaged.

Now, digital marketers should take a lesson from Martin’s genius.  I recently read an Ad Age article asserting that content is no longer king.  In efforts to build relationships with users, marketers develop social media strategies that, ultimately, just create web presence in bulk.  Meaningless blogs and tweets are no better than un-targeted commercials– it’s just a broadcast.  Passive.

However, I do believe content is still king.  To “fill every moment with content,” Steve Martin didn’t just say more.  With the precision that cummings calls upon, he chose content that would elicit movement, things that would activate his audience.

Just as Steve Martin saw opportunity in the comic environment to open up more channels for the user, manifesting a richer experience and better results, marketers ought to take the same approach to the web.  After all, aren’t we both just looking to tell a great story?

Cited

Martin, Steve. Born Standing Up: a Comic’s Life. New York: Scribner, 2007. 141 – 142. Print.

Knorpp, Bob. “Break Free of the Digital-Content Trap: Content Alone Is a Dead-end.” Editorial. Ad Age. 05 July 2011. Web. 08 July 2011.

- Carrie Knific