The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) released the official trailer to their new documentary on Tuesday, June 9.

“The Story of Content: Rise of the New Marketing,” is CMI’s first film about content marketing and is set to premier at their annual Content Marketing World event on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in Cleveland, Ohio.

CMI’s press release says the documentary “explores the evolution of content marketing through the eyes of the world’s biggest leading brands… and marketing influencers, including Joe Pulizzi, Ann Handley, Scott Stratten, Jay Baer and more.”

CMI explains it will feature case studies from industry “pioneers to today’s marketing innovators,” to teach viewers “how content marketing has changed — and will continue to change — business and media forever.”

It’s hard not to notice how content marketing keeps rewriting its own rules. Ten years ago, even fairly engaged marketers weren’t paying as much attention to long-form stories or brand journalism; now, honestly, it’s hard to imagine a serious marketing plan without at least a half-hearted blog attached. What seemed like an experimental approach in the last decade has turned into table stakes for reaching audiences who can spot a sales pitch from a mile away.

And there’s no indication that brands will slow down churning out their own mini-movies or podcasts anytime soon. People don’t just want to be sold stuff—they want stories that feel real, or at least interesting. Sometimes I get a bit jaded, but every now and then somebody pulls off something so clever (think Wendy’s wild Twitter persona, or the New York Times’ “The Daily”) that it reminds you there’s plenty of room to get it right. Still, with so many people jumping on the bandwagon, you have to wonder how brands will keep the edge sharp without falling into sameness. Staying memorable is trickier than it looks.

CMI founder, Joe Pulizzi, is included in the trailer, where he says consumers are entirely in control of the content they consume; this control renders most traditional advertising ineffective.

”The most successful companies in the world are really focused on content marketing, because they have to be, because they are not going to get attention if they don’t.”

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