April 15, 2021
When Chick-fil-A’s slogan “We Didn’t Invent the Chicken, Just the Chicken Sandwich” first appeared in the 1960s it was catchy and notable, but was not without controversy. Gary Vaynerchuk, the popular entrepreneur and digital and social media strategist didn’t invent the phrase “Context is King” but notably added “But Context is God”.
“Content is King, But Context is God”? What does Gary Vaynerchuk really mean by this phrase and what can contemporary writers, bloggers, and social media strategists learn from digging deeper into his qualifying addendum?
Content is absolutely king. At least that was the long-standing mantra of most marketers and social media strategists. Different observers, however, have different opinions on whether or not content is still king. They have different opinions on whether, like Gary Vaynerchuk suggests, context should be supreme amongst a marketer’s priorities.
One observer, clearly appreciating the importance of context, suggested that while great content is desirable “how you wrap it up” should vary depending on the medium that you employ (Sandel, 2014).
Similarly, a marketing CEO, suggested that the facts and circumstances around marketing are important. This CEO reasoned, hinting at the significance of strategic market segmentation, that if you pick the wrong medium, promote it to the wrong audience, then you can be sure most of your content efforts will go to waste(Herrick, 2018).
A third social media strategist, with a nod to the value of good content, first prescribed the types and attributes of good content – helpful videos, amusing anecdotes and authentic blog posts – that are needed to solidify a relationship and a connection before a sales offer is made. Only then does she broach Gary Vaynerchuk’s important qualifier “But Context is God”.
Regarding “Context is God” this strategist, acknowledged the key role of context indicating that you should craft your message to fit the audience. Each social media platform has a different demographic, we are informed, who basically use a particular platform for particular needs (Nichols, 2020).
Gary Vee, as he is known by his ardent followers will quickly tell you about the virtues of context in marketing. In his streetwise, evangelistic tone he has insisted on his you tube show, for example, that content is only 1 percent of the equation. But for the rest of us chaps and chapettes, he admonished, we need to put in the time for [the particular audience].
Further, to attract a following, Gary Vee also importantly says to put out content daily, or as close to that as possible. Then spend time answering some of your audience’s questions, thus creating context. (Vaynerchuk, 2016). Within his book, Jab, jab, jab, right hook: How to tell your story in a noisy social world this bestselling author augments his you tube show by alluding to three tips regarding creating context for your audience. The first tip is respect the platform and audience. The second tip and third tips are don’t interrupt the experience and be consistent and self-aware, respectively (Vaynerchuk, 2013).
Gary Vee’s marketing and writing skills are widely respected. His skills have allowed this serial entrepreneur to guide his family’s wine business into a million-dollar enterprise. His skills have allowed him to establish multiple concerns. They have also enabled him to consult fortune 1000 companies in garnering increased engagement. Gary Vee’s position on the value of content and context apply to other non-fiction writing areas such as technical and academic writing.
This is because the “Content is King, But Context is God” question is not an either/or proposition but rather, simply, one that points to “both”. As one visual storyteller put it “Content and context are equally as important” (Froriep, N.D.). While he does not rate them equally, Gary Vee does recognize the utility of both.
References
Froriep, N. (n.d.). Why It Is Completely Irrelevant Which is More Important: Content or Context . Enabling
B 2 B Consultants to Grow with Consistent Video Content. https://clockwiseproductions.com/why-it-is-completely-irrelevant-which-is-more-important-content-or-context/.
Herrick, J. (2018, July 12). 7 Lessons from the Titans of Marketing. Benchmark ONE. https://www.hatchbuck.com/blog/7-lessons-titans-marketing/.
Sandel, C. (2014, July 9). If Content is King, then Context is God. Seven Health: Combining Science and Compassion for Recovery. https://seven-health.com/2014/07/if-content-is-king-then-context-is-god/.
Vaynerchuk, G. (2013). Jab, jab, jab, right hook: How to tell your story in a noisy social world. New York, NY: Harper Business. Vaynerchuk, G (2016, March 1). Content is King, But Context is God. GaryVaynerchuk.com. https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/content-is-king-but-context-is-god/.
