The New York Times is looking at the relationship between “hipster media company,” Vice, and non-hipster brands like Intel and Dell.
The partnership between Intel and Vice includes the creation of a Web site, The Creators Project, which began in May. Earlier this year, the partnership also began producing events in five cities around the world — New York, London, São Paulo, Seoul and Beijing — that are one part concert, one part art exhibit, one part conference and many parts party, as the doors open in early afternoon and close after midnight. The Intel and Vice logos are present, but subdued. The drinks are free.
Intel and Dell are not alone in investing in content. In 2009, companies spent $47.2 billion on custom marketing — from magazines to Web sites — according to a survey conducted by the Custom Content Council, an industry group in New York, and ContentWise, a newsletter.
The $47.2 billion figure makes it seem like content is a widely adopted marketing practice, but I think it’s too early to say that’s the case. The Times points out that getting marketers to understand that they’re in the media business is relatively easy to do, but getting them to move away from the usual tropes, like 30-second advertisements and online banner ads is far from simple.
