THE MARKETEER 50: BRANDS TO WATCH IN 2012

12. Birchbox

Editorial has played a key role in this smart startup's service since its 2010 debut. Birchbox's "magazine," The Haute Box, is chock-full of content that stretches beyond the product samples Birchbox members receive each month. Articles on wellness offer healthy living tips that suggest but don't require product purchases, and a keen metadata strategy emulates the organization of magazines' front-of-the-book departments into categories like Insider Guide and Beauty in Action, among others.

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13. Degree Men (Unilever)

Featuring lots of high jumps, extreme sports, breakneck speeds, and Bear Grylls, The Adrenalist is the choice content site for Unilever, maker of the popular Degree brand deodorant. The site positions itself as a place to celebrate living life on the edge, but you won't find many mentions of deodorant. The Adrenalist focuses on Degree's active-male demographic, and offers this audience a place to discover some of the craziest action sports, gadgets, and personalities out there.

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14. Patagonia

Patagonia was practicing content marketing well before it became cool, with The Cleanest Line. The outdoors retailer continues to lead the pack with a stock of athlete contributors, such as renowned surfer Chris Malloy, climber Brittany Griffith, and skier JD Hare. Articles on adventure, design, activism, and culture are tackled as lifestyle journalism, making The Cleanest Line a fantastic example of content marketing done right.

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15. L'Oreal

L'Oreal is the largest cosmetics and beauty company in the world, so it's fitting that it owns the domain makeup.com. The content here is produced by a palette of bloggers, freelancers, and journalists. They aim to help users of all skill levels—from the makeup challenged to talented artists looking for new techniques—with everything from video tutorials to blogged lists.

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16. GE

GE is part of our lives in one way or another, thanks to its impact on technology, health, and machinery, which also provides the company with more than enough topics to explore in its content marketing efforts. In fact, GE delivers content in three distinct blogs: Ecomagination, Txchnologist, and Healthymagination. Those original concepts are also enhanced with separate social media accounts.

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17. Procter & Gamble's Man of the House

If it's for scrubbing, disinfecting, wiping, washing, or shaving, Procter & Gamble probably makes it. And while remembering to add some Tide to the washing machine doesn't require content marketing, Man of the House has a keen sense of what everyday guys (and gals) truly need in order to manage a home. Articles are penned by authors who relay colorful experiences and contribute genuine advice to users. And despite its moniker, Man of House is a valuable resource for women, as well.

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18. Bergdorf Goodman

The New York City-based luxury goods department store Bergdorf Goodman is serious about its content marketing. The Bergdorf Goodman Blog reads like a magazine focused on fashion and culture in the Big Apple. The fresh content—such as columns from top fashion writers, interviews with famous designers, and historical depictions of the store—easily warrants subscribing to the blog's RSS feed, and BG's Google+ and Pinterest accounts are equally alluring.

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19. Tory Burch

The namesake and CEO of the Tory Burch brand has worked in magazines, and that experience shines through in The Tory Blog's content marketing. Spotlight On takes a profile-like approach to renowned aesthetes, while The Wish List solicits the stylish set (including novelists like Plum Sykes) to share a few favorite things. Other departments focus on trends, inspiration, and notably well-dressed, high-profile women. Tory On offers a glimpse into the world of the designer via her own creations, as well as childhood memories, what she loves about summer, and other personalized posts. In Tory’s City Guides, the designer dishes on where to go, dine, shop, and stay in the various international cities that house Tory Burch boutiques, from Houston, Texas to Manila, Philippines.

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20. Eloqua

The marketing automation masters at Eloqua are all about doing more with less, and their content marketing efforts reflect a similar ethos, prioritizing quality over quantity. The company's It's All About Revenue blog benefits from the expertise of Eloqua employees, including vice president of content marketing Joe Chernov, an influential voice in the field. This brand is skilled at creating various types of content, but Eloqua's Grand Guides and infographic collaborations with JESS3 stand out as some of the best B2B content marketing around.

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21. Whole Foods

With the desire for natural foods only increasing, Whole Foods Market isn't lacking in fresh ideas for its blog. And like its merchandise, the popular grocer's content is aimed at supporting healthy lifestyles, offering recipes, podcasts, health news, sustainability tips, and articles about social responsibility. Whole Foods employees bring their specialty knowledge from the company's front lines to its content marketing program, with helpful information on organics, trends, local producers, and more.

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22. Boston Consulting Group

As one of the most prestigious management consulting firms in the world, The Boston Consulting Group's own business experiences make for fantastic content. At the heart of its content marketing efforts is bcg perspectives, which showcases BCG's consulting authority in a variety of industries. And the firm satisfies all kinds of consumer preferences with a solid range of content types—from articles to interactive multimedia.

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23. Adobe

Adobe products are only as creative and capable as the people who use them, which is what fuels the computer software company's blog—helping users get the most out of those products. The blog is sustained by a variety of authors with different specializations who apply the features of the entire Adobe lineup in unique ways. While the company also offers tutorials to help users get started, its blog provides inspiration and perspective on how its software can be used to impact the world.

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24. Marketo

Marketing automation heavyweight Marketo is also an undeniable leader when it comes to content marketing. The company's blogs homepage says it best: "We promise a steady stream of fresh thinking, thought provoking ideas, and engaged commentary." The interface makes finding content easy, and users are rewarded with a wealth of award-winning options in the form of white papers, cheat sheets, "marketing success kits," and much more. With contributions from industry thought leaders like Jon Miller—the company's vice president of marketing—marketers of all stripes would be wise to follow Marketo's content closely.

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25. Anthropologie

The popular women's clothing and home decor retailer Anthropologie forgoes user-generated content on The Anthropologist, featuring instead original content from professional photographers, filmmakers, and writers. The site sparks imagination and creativity, and focuses on quality over quantity, preventing readers from becoming overwhelmed. Anthropologie also curates content via Tumblr with a nod to the store's aesthetic.

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26. Zillow

If you've ever waded through real estate data, you know how overwhelming it can be, but Zillow is here to help. The Zillow blog counts industry professionals, consultants, and employees among its content marketing creators to help both seasoned and amateur buyers alike. Articles ease users through the emotional aspects of purchasing real estate, but there's plenty of eye candy here for the HGTV-obsessed as well.

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27. Zappos

Zappos was recognized by Abrams Research in 2009 for its uber-effective use of social media, but the online shoe retailer is notable for its content marketing efforts as well. The Zappos blog is updated multiple times a day with a variety of content covering new brands, Zappos highlights, musical suggestions, and peeks behind-the-scenes. Conversation is robust on the company's social networks thanks to the enjoyable reads produced by the Zappos staff.

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28. Fiskars

You probably know Fiskars best for the trusty pair of orange-handled scissors you keep in your utility drawer. And while there are endless uses for those scissors, the brand has savvily tapped into the crafting craze with Fiskateers. This content marketing effort is lead by a rotating team of crafting ambassadors who share more project ideas than most of us could shake a glue stick at. Features include a blog, message board, calendar, gallery, project spotlight, Fiskateer of the Week, and more.

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29. Southwest Airlines

As America's largest airline (based on domestic passengers carried), Southwest Airlines is a big player on the content marketing scene as well. PRWeek awarded Nuts About Southwest with the title of best corporate blog from 2007 to 2010, and the airline boasts massive social networks. The secret to Southwest's success? Humor, executed using various content types, such as video, blogs, and podcasts.

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30. Sun Life Financial

The insurance provider Sun Life Financial devotes its content marketing efforts to helping customers lead more enriched lives with Brighter Life. Content focuses on improving users' quality of life with tips on managing their money, health, working life, family, and retirement.

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31. AT&T

Sometimes it takes an enterprise company such as AT&T to help smaller businesses find their footing. That's the theory behind this phone service giant's Network Exchange Blog. Produced by AT&T "network experts" and occasional outside contributors, content revolves around technology and how it's applied in the business world. It targets an audience interested in staying current on tech trends but that may not want or be able to adopt every new concept.

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32. PlayStation

Entertaining kids and adults alike, PlayStation has been establishing its household name as a video-game leader since the mid-1990s. Today, the PlayStation Blog gives loyal gamers insight into the brand's offerings, with seemingly endless product tips, trailers, clips, podcasts, and more from its content marketing stockpile.

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33. SEOmoz

The leading provider of search engine optimization tools, SEOmoz has also emerged as the foremost thought leader on SEO thanks to its stellar content marketing efforts—particularly the brand's widely referenced Beginner's Guide to SEO. Moz's must-read Daily SEO Blog is regularly supplemented with the best user-generated content from the YouMoz Blog, and Whiteboard Fridays often feature video from cofounder Rand Fishkin.

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34. Kelly OCG

This Fortune 500 company is perhaps best known for providing temporary-staffing services, but Kelly Services' content marketing efforts are showcased via KellyOCG, the website of the company's outsourcing and consulting arm. Leadership, human resources, work culture, productivity, global economic trends, and other management-related topics are tackled and presented in a broad range of content types, like blog posts, white papers and reports, videos, webcasts, Ebooks, infographics, and more.

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35. Barneys New York

Barneys New York is eponymous with style, and The Window puts that reputation in action. Filled with tips, examples, anecdotes, and personal narratives from fashion experts and veterans, Window visitors are guaranteed to experience style and fashion the Barney's way.

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36. Deloitte

Deloitte Consulting goes beyond everyday accounting with its environmentally focused Green Business Blog. The company proves there's content marketing payoff in taking on controversial topics like climate change and is adept at explaining how sustainable practices save money, improve safety, and increase profits.

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37. Radian6

The social media powerhouse Radian6 is also a prolific content marketer. The company's Social Strategy Blog covers important issues in the world of social media and is an invaluable source of information on the industry. Contributors position themselves as knowledge experts through additional types of free content, as well, such as white papers, e-Books, videos, and much more.

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38. Starbucks

Coffee giant Starbucks channels its content marketing efforts into the website Coffeehouse. Home to user-uploaded photos from Instagram, book and music reviews, social discussions, and, well, just about everything else we've come to associate with coffeeshops, Starbucks' team of content managers creates a warm online environment aimed at facilitating buzz-worthy discussions.

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39. Dell

Dell's impressive content marketing efforts shine through the Dell Community. Providing a bevy of information about computer products well beyond those the company makes itself, Dell's blogs are must-reads for anyone interested in the latest on technology design, usage, and business. The company's YouTube series "America's Favorite Small Business" is also an excellent example of video content marketing.

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40. Procter & Gamble's Being Girl

Procter & Gamble does a formidable job reaching out to an adolescent female audience with Being Girl. Educational and genuine—and from a girl's point of view—the site offers a refuge to explore and discuss important topics like menstruation, relationships, eating disorders, makeup, and many other subjects that tend to weigh on the minds of young women. Videos and forums serve to extend the credibility of this well-executed content marketing effort even further.

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41. Amazon

Considering just about every product imaginable can be found on Amazon , it can be easy to forget that the world's largest online retailer began as an online bookstore. Staying noble to the Amazon roots, Omnivoracious is dedicated to book reviews, interviews with famous authors, "best of" lists, and other human-interest pieces written by staffers as well as outside journalists and authors. Additionally, The Backstory is pumped full of interviews, recipes, and discussions that allow shoppers to interact with each other as they would in a physical marketplace.

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42. Target

Target publishes more company and product promotion on A Bull's Eye View than most content marketing efforts on our list, but its stylistic approach and celebrity appearances are notable and attention-grabbing. The popular discount retailer also does a nice job of offering valuable takeaways, like recipes from popular chefs such as Giada De Laurentiis and style advice from TV celebs like "Project Runway" judge and Marie Claire editor Nina Garcia, who also guest-edited an edition of Target's monthly On the Dot Tumblr magazine.

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43. Evernote

Named "company of the year" by Inc. magazine in 2011, Evernote's product line is built around a full-featured application that helps users manage the dreaded information overload. The company's content marketing efforts include publishing at least three blog posts per week—a mix of user stories, tips for how to use Evernote products, and product updates—and a rich video library with tutorials, demos, and tips. The Marketeer spoke with Andrew Sinkov, the company's vice president of marketing, and editor Kasey Hickey earlier this year for a closer look at Evernote's content program.

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44. Macy's

The popular department store Macy's effectively employs content marketing via its mBlog. Beyond requisite fashion coverage, the retailer often puts style in a timely cultural context (as it did recently with Oscar-related blog posts) and keeps content clearly categorized based on user interests and needs, such as beauty and men's fashion.

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45. The Gap

Gap is all about "accessible style," and the content marketing efforts of this clothing and accessories retailer reflect that approach as well. GapMag takes a note from The Sartorialist's popular playbook with its on-the-street photos of everyday people sporting the brand's latest looks, offering plenty of inspiration for users.

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46. At Task

AtTask specializes in project management software, but its blog focuses on the leadership aspects of management. Posts are penned by a combination of expert bloggers, executive bloggers, and others, providing diverse levels of experience. The brand wisely takes its content marketing beyond blogging with a free project manager toolkit that includes webinars, white papers, and videos.

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47. Pepsico

Pepsico exemplifies the true essence of content marketing with Pepsico WIN: The PepsiCo Women's Inspiration Network. Showcasing the positive impacts women are making in our globalized world, the ubiquitous brand focuses on telling inspirational stories, often with health and wellness, the environment, and sustainability in mind. Another bonus: loads of video.

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48. eBay

While the renowned online auctioning site eBay is a household name, users on the selling end of the service can be overwhelmed with the experience of hawking merchandise online. That's where the Ink blog comes in handy. Of eBay's content marketing cache, Ink is where sellers, new and experienced alike, stay up-to-date on the intricacies of e-commerce. The friendly layout and calm pacing ensure readers don't suffer from unnecessary information overload.

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49. Wegmans

Wegmans has won kudos as one of the country's best supermarkets, and its content marketing also deserves applause. The Fresh Stories Blog offers a wealth of recipes, chef interviews, product news, how-to videos, nutrition tips, and more. Founder Danny Wegman is among the blog's contributors, along with the grocer's regional wine manager and marketing employees, who write about everything from beer to preparing gluten-free meals for kids.

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50. SAP

The software corporation SAP puts its best resources—its employees—forward in its content marketing efforts. The company's blogs are aimed at "making the world run a little better," encouraging SAP staffers to fuel discussion by writing about topics that make them passionate.

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The People Behind the Brands . . .

Check out: The Content Marketeer 50: Marketers to Watch in 2012 >>