Most surgeries in the 1800’s were conducted by surgeons with their bare hands. In fact, many did not even wash their hands before heading into surgery. A patient’s luck with regard to surviving a surgery was about the same as predicting a coin flip. The idea of germ transmission still hadn’t taken hold. Though this was beginning to change. One of the factors in this change was an 1888 publication called Modern Methods of Antiseptic Wound Treatment. What is interesting about this particular publication was that it was created and distributed by Johnson & Johnson as a way to speak to surgeons, a key target for their bandages. This is an early example of what today we call content marketing.
While content marketing is not a new concept, the proliferation of platforms from which we choose to entertain, educate and share has renewed the importance of content for brands as a differentiator.