Content Marketing and Brand Journalism at Boeing

Back in May, 2010 when Boeing embarked on a fledgling brand journalism program, I interviewed Todd Blecher, Communications Director, for a blog post I titled The Plane Truth: Brand journalism and the new Boeing site.

Since then, I've been using Boeing as an example of an organization that is creating great content but until yesterday I had never met Todd in person.

We both spoke at the Purina Digital Summit "Feeding the Beast" event in St. Louis. What a perfect tag-team: I talked about how companies can create excellent content and how journalists make excellent content creators (print journalists, photojournalists, and broadcast journalists) because they are skilled storytellers, then Todd outlined how he is doing it at Boeing. Todd and I are both looking forward to Purina taking up the ideas for their marketing programs.

Brakes on Fire!!

For a great example of the sort of content that Todd and his team create, check out this video Boeing 747-8F Performs Ultimate Rejected Take-off where a fully-loaded 747-8 Freighter with worn-out brakes attempted an aborted takeoff on a California runway. The rejected takeoff or maximum brake energy test is one of the most dramatic for a new airplane. The resulting video has 680,000 views as of this writing. The video is great because it is not a product pitch. Rather it is branded content that people want to consume and that shows Boeing in a great way.

"We publish content that supports business objectives and fosters positive opinions about Boeing," Todd told me. "We're not (directly) selling planes. We’re selling Boeing."

Todd understands that brand journalism is not a product pitch. It is not an advertorial. It is not an egotistical spewing of gobbledygook-laden corporate drivel.

Interestingly, many Boeing communicators were former reporters. Todd himself was a former real-time wire service journalist at Bloomberg News who now among other duties manages the @Boeing Twitter feed.

Effective brand journalism is about telling stories. Like newspapers, magazines, and television news reports, Boeing brand journalists publish their by-line with their reports. This shows that real people are behind the stories.

I also like that Boeing's reports end up serving as fodder for the media. They repurpose content all the time, promoting it via social media the Boeing site, on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. And they pitch their homegrown stories to the media.

Here's a quick discussion with Todd on how brand journalism is done at Boeing.

Direct link to Todd interview on YouTube.

Thanks Todd. Keep up the good work.

Comments

[Todd Blecher]

Thanks, David, for your kind words and your guidance. We're trying something truly different for an organization like ours. So far we've learned a lot, made mistakes, and seem to have hit on an approach that resonates with our audiences.

[David Meerman Scott]

Todd, I really appreciate you sharing what you are doing. Some brands operate in secrecy. That you share with other marketers is a great thing and I am pleased to help get the story out for you. Keep up the great work.

[Dawn Westerberg]

I first read The New Rules of Marketing and PR two years ago. I was fascinating by your profile of the Concrete Network. To this day, I continue to follow them, and I am amazed by things like glow-in-the-dark concrete for your yard and I am inspired to bring an equally fresh approach to my subject matter, B2B Marketing.

What you've share here with Boeing, is yet another great example of how to communicate with your audience. The appeal is undeniable.

[David Meerman Scott]

Thanks Dawn. I agree that both Boeing and the Concrete Network are inspiring examples.

[AskJamieTurner]

Okay, I'm gonna fess up. I found the Boeing video so fascinating that I forgot this was a post about marketing.

A fun read as always, David. Thx.

[Sara O'Shanassy]

It's remarkable when brands take it beyond just their services or products and truly hit a soft spot with their clients. We forget that we're talking about a brand here, because the experience seems so real. This is one of the advantages of brand journalism - it takes us where we're supposed to be.

[David Meerman Scott]

Jamie & Sara - I know, right? THe video is great. Imagine a B2B video with 600k+ views.

[Subhakar Rao]

Good Information

[Bookkeepers Caloundra]

This is a very informative post. Social media really is a vital part of almost every business enterprise today considering the fierce competition in the market. Boeing’s strategy is just a clear example of how effective brand journalism can be.