Understanding Paid, Owned, and Earned Media: A Comprehensive Guide

Paid, Owned, and Earned Media

Paid Media

Paid media involves paying for exposure and offers various options, such as website ads, radio commercials, and TV ads. It is the most common form of advertising used by brands. Examples include sponsored articles, banner ads, and press releases.

Consumers tend to be more skeptical of paid media due to its promotional nature.

Owned Media

Owned media refers to channels created and controlled by brands themselves. This includes social media profiles (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube), corporate blogs, and websites.

Brands have complete control over the content and messaging on their owned media channels.

Earned Media

Earned media involves organic exposure and publicity generated through word-of-mouth, customer reviews, and media mentions. It reflects the target audience's spontaneous reactions and interactions.

Brands have limited control over earned media, which has led to the emergence of community managers who focus on building relationships and fostering positive engagement.

The 5 M's of Marketing

The 5 M's framework helps guide marketing strategies:

• Mission (Setting Goals): Defining the objectives and desired outcomes of the campaign.
• Message: Crafting the core message and value proposition to communicate to the target audience.
• Money (Budget): Determining the financial resources allocated for the campaign.
• Media: Selecting the appropriate channels and platforms to reach the target audience.
• Measurement: Evaluating the campaign's performance and effectiveness.

Media Affinity and Planning

Media planning aims to reach the target audience effectively and deliver the advertiser's message. It involves optimizing the selection of media channels and vehicles to maximize audience overlap and minimize wasted coverage.

The goal is to identify media with a high affinity to the target audience, ensuring efficient and impactful advertising.

Media Strategy

A media strategy is a comprehensive plan recommended by a media agency to achieve specific marketing goals. It precedes the development of a detailed media plan and outlines the overall approach to media selection and utilization.

Stages of Media Planning:

1. Analysis of the Briefing
2. Analysis of Competitors
3. Determining the Target Audience
4. Defining Media Goals
5. Suggesting the Media (Strategy)
6. Suggesting the Vehicles (Tactics)
7. Schedule of Insertions
8. Evaluation
9. Follow-Up

Types of Advertising Campaigns

Continuous/Buzz Campaigns

• Maintain brand awareness and serve as a reminder.
• Focus on annual Share of Voice (SOV) goals.
• Employ a low but consistent advertising weight.
• Suitable for frequently consumed products.

Multi-Wave Campaigns/Flighting/Bursting

• Promotional campaigns aiming for high coverage and frequency.
• Utilize a limited budget with focused bursts of advertising.
• Increased impact and sales during campaign periods.
• Risk of long gaps between campaigns.

Pulsing Campaigns

• Combine continuous advertising with short bursts of intensive advertising.
• Require larger budgets.
• Ideal for product launches or re-launches.
• Aim for high coverage over time and increased frequency during bursts.

The Empowered Consumer

Modern consumers have evolved and possess greater knowledge, resources, and experience. They demand relevant and personalized information, expect results, and have numerous options to choose from. They are multi-tasking, multi-channel users who actively create and share opinions, becoming content generators themselves.