NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 21, 2019 – During its first seven months in service, iostudio’s 32-page field guide for content marketers quietly made an impact with consistent digital downloads, requests for softbound copies and behind-the-scenes consulting requests from content experts nationwide.
This month, the Field Guide to Functional Content Marketing made noise publicly as the American Advertising Federation named it one of the top content marketing projects in the region, which includes Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. The project will be recognized April 12 in Mobile, Alabama, at the AAF District 7 Spring Convention.
As a regional Gold ADDY winner, the Field Guide advances to the American Advertising Federation’s national competition to compete against entries from 15 districts. Approximately 40,000 entries are judged nationwide each year, and the final round takes place between April 25 and 27, 2019.
“We’re honored to be acknowledged by our industry so positively,” said co-author Keith Kawasaki. “We developed the Field Guide to help demystify the usual industry jargon around content marketing and provide actionable approaches to content creation, delivery and measurement for brand marketers and advertisers to employ and enjoy.”
The pocket-size 32-page booklet is divided into 13 sections, each with an observation about content marketing and a tactic for practical use in developing a market strategy. It draws on iostudio’s nearly 20 years of strategy development and content marketing for branded publications, digital experiences and integrated brand campaigns serving national clients in healthcare, financial services, recruiting and retention, government services, and national defense.
In fact, the agency’s vast experience with military clients, including the U.S. Army, Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command and the U.S. Navy, influenced the format of the booklet and its compact format, which mimics a military-issued field guide. Each content marketing tactic is illustrated with sketches inspired by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Bill Mauldin, who earned fame with his empathetic wartime characterizations of soldiers enduring the difficulties of duty in the field.
Guide for content marketers wins gold at the 2019 American Advertising Federation regional competition.