This framework was introduced to me during an excellent presentation at the University of Oxford's Said Business School by Iain Lewis of Torpedo Group. His spin was more business & digital marketing focused than the original - which was created by YouTube to show the trickle down effect on their platform.
To extend his point, for a Professional Services business the "hero" content would be the glossy magazines, the budget day seminars & the research pieces.
The "hygiene" would be your brochure website. "Who we are", "what we do" "contact us".
The one that everyone struggles with is the "hub". The on-going blog, the on-going newsletter - the timely, highly relevant & authentic content - which is where you need your best brains contributing.
Here’s how the three Hs works. In the video version, the hero piece pulls in casual browsers. YouTube gives the example of Jean Claude Van Damme performing the splits between a pair of Volvo juggernauts to the delight of nearly 80 million viewers. It’s unlikely that every one of those people was in the market for a Volvo truck, but some must’ve been. Subsequently, those viewers filter down to the hub content: Brian’s Truck Report – a weekly series of budget videos aimed at the real tuck enthusiasts. These viewers – still in their tens of thousands – interact with the brand via the comments section (the hygiene content), which subsequently influences the next round of creative thinking.