Why OG Content Marketer André Michelin Created the Michelin Guides in 1900

When you think of content marketing, things like City Guide by Condé Nast or Maria Popova’s Brain Pickings may come to mind. Or maybe the Kardashians, who are arguably the most prolific content marketers of the past decade. But the concept has been around much longer than social media, email, even tv.

Since it doesn’t have too much name recognition, people think of content marketing as a product of the information age. But it’s been around for a long time, back when driving was the latest tech advance to transform everyday life.

They see me rollin.

Probably one of the most well-known pieces of OG content marketing is the Michelin guides.

Originally published in 1900 as the Red Guide, it helped drivers (the early adopters of the time) find their way around France in their revolutionary new vehicles. It may seem old hat now, but at the time, when driving was both an innovation and a novelty, taking a road trip was something adventurous. And a big part of making a journey like that work was knowing where you could find gas, meals, and lodging.

It was André Michelin, one of the Michelin brothers who owned the rubber and tire company, that came up with this marketing idea. He knew that there would be more and more drivers on the road, and more drivers meant more cars, and more importantly, more tires needed to maintain those cars.

So the more people went out on road trips, the better off their business would be in the long run.

The idea was to give drivers something that would help them have a great trip and go home and tell their friends to do the same. Then, as a result, driving and road trips would become a part of the zeitgeist of the time. Even today, the influence of a Michelin rating can make or break a brand, just like a shout-out from the hottest influencer on a given platform.

Since we still talk about Michelin-star-rated restaurants over 100 years later, this feels like the perfect example of how effective content marketing can be in making a brand iconic.

Content initiatives can make way for brands to enter into new revenue streams, new industries, and (most importantly) new minds.

How are tires and 5-star restaurants related?

Often, we want our brands to represent our values or show our commitment to a certain industry or cause. But how do you accomplish that in a way that also provides a true value to people, regardless of whether they are your customers? What guide can you write that would help people find their way?

That’s what content marketing is all about.

Let’s say you’re a brand that’s all about empowering women. How would you show that to the world? One way might be to host a roundtable discussion on YouTube about a topic that affects or empowers women. Or maybe if you’re a creative brand, you might collect art and stories from local artists and create a coffee table book to benefit a cause you care about.

Your brand could also use content marketing to be of service to your community by sharing knowledge or know-how. After all, information is power. This would also give you the added benefit of becoming an authority on the subject. Plus, you can also use data from insights to learn more about your target audience.

If we’ve learned anything from André Michelin and the Michelin guides, it’s that content marketing is the perfect vehicle for innovation and thought leadership.

So, what’s your version of the Michelin guides?