Advertising: Robert Murray of iProspect Joins Skyword as President

In another sign of the growing role that content marketing is beginning to play in advertising, Robert J. Murray, global president of a leading digital agency, iProspect, which is part of the Aegis Media division of Dentsu, is leaving to join Skyword, a content marketing specialist, as president, a new post. Mr. Murray is to begin at Skyword, based in Boston, on June 3.

Content marketing — also known as branded content or branded entertainment — refers to editorial content like articles, video clips, movies, television shows, photo galleries and even comic books that is created on behalf of marketers that serve as presenting sponsors. The content is bought in place of traditional pitches like commercials or banner ads.

Content marketing follows the venerable “brought to you by” model of consumer engagement, popularized in the 1930s through 1950s by radio and television, updated for a digital age to encompass platforms that include Web sites, streaming video, search engines and social media.

In a survey conducted among more than 2,000 marketing students in four European countries, which was published this week by the MediaSchool Group, 81 percent said they agreed or agreed strongly that content marketing would be an essential part of their jobs in a decade.

“The content space is incredibly hot right now,” Mr. Murray said in a phone interview from Singapore before the announcement of his new job, scheduled for Friday. “Content is king.”

“Brands need to be part of the conversation,” he added, “and the key is content.”

“Anytime you make a big move like this, it’s a leap of faith,” said Mr. Murray, who is 45. “I had to believe in the product and I had to believe in the people.”

Helping to cultivate that belief, he added, was his experience at iProspect working with Skyword since last summer for several clients, “most notably General Motors.”

Mr. Murray, who goes by Rob, has worked at iProspect for almost 15 years. Before becoming global president in 2009, he held posts that included chief executive of iProspect U.S. and president, and he led the company through its acquisition by Aegis in 2004. (Aegis was acquired by Dentsu in March.) Before joining iProspect, Mr. Murray was a consultant for Bain & Company.

In addition to General Motors, Skyword clients and customers include AutoTrader.com, I.B.M., Iron Mountain, the MarketWatch unit of Dow Jones & Company, TransUnion and United Way. Skyword offers a content marketing platform to produce and promote original content aimed at consumers.

Skyword was founded in December 2010 by Tom Gerace, an entrepreneur who also founded Be Free and Gather.com. Skyword has attracted investors that include the Cox Media Group division of Cox Enterprises; a round of financing that was obtained last week by Skyword, which totaled $6.7 million, was led by Cox Media.

“Creating content is responding to consumer information needs, what they’re searching for and sharing” on social media, Mr. Gerace said in a separate phone interview.

Another reason content marketing is becoming popular, he added, is that “marketers are starting to think about connecting with consumers in the digital space differently” than they do in traditional media.

Mr. Murray’s experience “running a business that spans the globe” will serve Skyword well, Mr. Gerace said, particularly as “our business is becoming increasingly global.”

“I’m headed to London next week, looking at opening our first office internationally,” he added, “and we would likely do that in London.” In addition to its Boston headquarters, Skyword has a technical center in Pittsburgh.

An issue that could slow or blunt the growth of content marketing is concern over how it can blur the line between editorial content and advertising. The worry is not new; in the 1951 movie “Ace in the Hole,” a hard-boiled reporter played by Kirk Douglas asks his young co-worker, “Say, what did you take in that school of journalism? Advertising?”

Mr. Gerace agreed that branded content “can be problematic if it’s not transparent,” describing himself as no fan of “inserting brand-influenced content into existing, respected media properties.”

“Audiences will come to brands if they’re creating great stuff,” he said.

Mr. Murray acknowledged that “there’s definitely an underbelly” to content marketing.” The way to address those qualms is to produce “high-quality, authentic content,” he said, rather than products like advertorials, which consumers often dismiss as ads masquerading as articles.

“We’re trying to work with the world’s biggest and best brands,” Mr. Murray said. “As part of that challenge, you have to maintain the brand standard.”

IProspect has filled the vacancy created by Mr. Murray’s departure by promoting Ben Wood — president for Britain and the Europe, Middle East and Africa region — to global president. And Misty Locke, global chief marketing officer at iProspect, will also serve in a new post, president of iProspect Americas.

Dr. Conrad Murray — Jail Is KILLING ME!!!!

Dr. Conrad Murray
Jail Is
KILLING ME!
Dr. Conrad Murray says his body is in worse shape than one of those zombies from the Michael Jackson 'Thriller' video ... claiming he's suffered serious injuries behind bars ... and he wants out.

TMZ has obtained a recording of a jailhouse phone call between Murray and a friend ... in which the Doc says he was rushed to USC Medical Center earlier this week after fearing he was suffering from deadly blood clots in his legs.

"It progressed until the leg felt numb ... it was painful all to the top of my foot ... around the medial aspect of my ankle and all the way to the mid-calf."

Murray -- who was a licensed doctor before he killed Michael Jackson -- explained, "Blood clots are relatively risky ... especially if they propagate from the legs into the lungs to cause pulmonary embolism which can result in permanent disability or even death."

Ultimately, doctors who are currently licensed determined there were no blood clots and returned Murray to his cell ... where he says he continues to suffer.

"I have had to lay in bed for most of the day because there is no way to elevate my feet. One of the recommendations by the doctor is to keep my legs elevated and to increase my activity which is impossible in a 5x7 cell."

During the call, Murray gripes that his feet have become so swollen, "I may never be able to wear a boot again." So much for line-dancing after his release ...

Murray then issues a veiled threat -- "I don't want to be permanently hurt by any condition in here ... because if I am, I will not let it rest."

He also complains about pain in his right shoulder ... and as we previously reported, he came down with a ferocious case of diarrhea earlier this year.

Jail -- it ain't the Hilton.

Dr. Conrad Murray Jail Is KILLING ME!

Dr. Conrad Murray
Jail Is
KILLING ME!
Dr. Conrad Murray says his body is in worse shape than one of those zombies from the Michael Jackson 'Thriller' video ... claiming he's suffered serious injuries behind bars ... and he wants out.

TMZ has obtained a recording of a jailhouse phone call between Murray and a friend ... in which the Doc says he was rushed to USC Medical Center earlier this week after fearing he was suffering from deadly blood clots in his legs.

"It progressed until the leg felt numb ... it was painful all to the top of my foot ... around the medial aspect of my ankle and all the way to the mid-calf."

Murray -- who was a licensed doctor before he killed Michael Jackson -- explained, "Blood clots are relatively risky ... especially if they propagate from the legs into the lungs to cause pulmonary embolism which can result in permanent disability or even death."

Ultimately, doctors who are currently licensed determined there were no blood clots and returned Murray to his cell ... where he says he continues to suffer.

"I have had to lay in bed for most of the day because there is no way to elevate my feet. One of the recommendations by the doctor is to keep my legs elevated and to increase my activity which is impossible in a 5x7 cell."

During the call, Murray gripes that his feet have become so swollen, "I may never be able to wear a boot again." So much for line-dancing after his release ...

Murray then issues a veiled threat -- "I don't want to be permanently hurt by any condition in here ... because if I am, I will not let it rest."

He also complains about pain in his right shoulder ... and as we previously reported, he came down with a ferocious case of diarrhea earlier this year.

Jail -- it ain't the Hilton.

After Years Of Beef Prodigy And Keith Murray Seen Photographed Together

Hiphop beef that goes back to the mid-90s, but Busta Rhymes recently took a photograph with Keith Murray and Prodigy.

Prodigy and Keith Murray have had a feud dating back as far as 1995, collaborating on the LL Cool J single “I Shot Ya Remix.” Soon after the track was released Keith Murray assaulted Prodigy in a New York nightclub. While both have history together by dissing each other in interviews for the last 17 years and on songs, they have both reconciled.

On the early morning of June 17, Busta Rhymes was recently photographed with both New York emcees and Prodigy acknowledged the photo via Twitter.

In the other hand, Keith Murray has yet to speak of the matter. In 2007, Keith Murray commented on an interview saying, “We ain’t really dissing records. He said something in a record, but I made a record . But nah, it ain’t no beef with Prodigy. That’s dead and old.” A year after the interview Prodigy took verbal shots at Murry, which revived the conflict once again.

On July 3, New York emcee, Prodigy, is getting ready to release H.N.I.C. 3 so start marking your calenders. While Murray released a project with Canibus, The Undergods just last year.

Photo Source:rapradar.com