Manufacturing marketers still struggle with getting people in their companies to understand content marketing. But they saw progress in 2021 when traditional sales methods were less useful. See what else these marketers had to say.

Walmart aims to spark joy that’s written all over its customers’ faces. Xero Shoes puts its minimalism message on strong footing, and an RV business retrofits its content to serve up local adventures. Read our hot takes.

A town in the Arctic Circle launches an Olympic bid it hopes it won’t win. The North Face melts hearts with stories of outdoor adventures. And Red Ventures brands join forces to help travelers plan health-conscious visits to their favorite hotspots. Read our hot takes on this cool content.

A scary-smart horror parody from Umault skewers companies that stalk people who dare to pass through their content gates. Party City treats its audience to original research on a content sweet spot. And the Food52 community shows it’s better to give and to receive.

Frustrated B2B readers give thought leadership content a bad review, and most say they skip out on anything they deem irrelevant. B2C retail giant Lowe’s adds a media network to monetize its audience. Read our hot takes.

Companies are waking up to the power of B2B content marketing. That’s the refrain that echoes through our survey of marketers in the newly released B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Insights for 2022.

Go behind the scenes at Service Direct and Atlassian as they reveal the results of their carefully planned content operations changes. Then, use Facebook’s accidental experiment to check your own content operations resilience.

Media brands serve up hot takeaways for B2C and B2C content marketers. What can you learn from ESPN crowing about a rooster? A popular food show expanding across platforms? A travel magazine marking its relaunch with a web series? We share our take.

The NAACP gets real (in Reels) for a new public service campaign. The Epica Awards gently mocks excuses to drive entries. And Flipboard finds a fresh angle for a new curation podcast. Here’s our take on all this content – what’s yours?

This week we offer our take on three content examples: Lego customer service avoiding the dark side; JP Morgan Chase scarfing down restaurant content; and Doritos tweeting during the MTV Video Music Awards. What’s your verdict?

Smart marketers know the best content touches hearts as well as heads. These examples from Shopify, Zillow, and Trek prove that content that teaches or inspires is never wasted on the young (or the young at heart).

Are you keeping up with all the shifts in the content marketing game? This week’s hot takes will get you up to speed in three areas: creating episodic content, insights into Instagram strategy, and the idea of ‘always-on’ content.