Questions for Mark Hamill on content marketing

Yes, Mark Hamill and content marketing. If you’re wondering how those words fit together you’re not alone. But maybe you should ask the US Content Marketing Institute (CMI), which this week sent me to check the calendar in case April Fool’s Day had moved to May. What started it was this announcement via LinkedIn.

With the big news that Mark Hamill is the closing keynote for Content Marketing World 2016, what would you ask him if you could? We’re thinking about questions focused on content creation and creativity, but would love to hear your thoughts as well! Thanks in advance! Cathy McPhillips, vice president of marketing, Content Marketing Institute

Hamill may be cinema’s most famous victim of typecasting, but what does it all mean when it comes to content marketing?

There’s nothing wrong with bringing in someone famous. The difference is that this event and the people attending it are engaged in content creation.

Last year, the CMI wheeled out John Cleese for the keynote. Cleese does not produce content marketing but he does know a lot about content creation. His speech covered the creative process, how he worked on ideas, drawing on the unconscious, etc.

There is a lot to be learnt from the likes of Cleese. Content marketing, producing quality editorial with a commercial aim, can be a challenging process. One reason why not everyone can do it. Another reason why creative people from other fields can prove useful.

If the CMI was desperate for Star Wars-related celebrities, why not bring in Lawrence Kasdan who wrote Return of the Jedi. Or is he just not famous enough?

We don’t want to knock the last Jedi. Hamill’s rise, fall and rise prompts many questions. It’s just that none of them are about content marketing.

Questions for Mark Hamill on content marketing is part of Content24, the blog for London content marketing agency FirstWord.