“There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope.” – Mark Twain.

 

Have you ever wondered if your content (branded, TV, etc.) is really unique?

 

If yes, chances are that your conclusion was that no, it’s not so unique and that it looks like a mix of many other pieces of content, and that in the end, you’re thinking: “But why do that if it already exists?”.

 

I can tell you why we have to keep doing this. There are two main reasons:

 

1. Every new iteration pulls the result upwards. It improves on what already exists and brings either new points of view, a new angle or a new treatment.

 

2. Distribution is one of the three pillars in any content production (the other two being the brand/customer and the audience you are targeting). Even if you are producing content that may be similar to another (by necessity, read Mark Twain’s quote above), ask yourself if your audience has a very good chance of having seen that other content. There is a very good chance that it won’t, and that you will be the first to offer this content to your audience.

 

Creating unique content is a goal, a destination to aim for, but in many cases, your brand will create its own kaleidoscope, based on its history, culture, insights, personality.

 

I invite you to read Robert Rose’s point of view on the subject, over on the Content Marketing Institute’s website, he talks about it in his most recent podcast episode “The Weekly Wrap.”