The Future of Media

This post was written by Valerie Lopez, Director of Media Research for Cision US.

Paid, owned, earned media isn’t a new concept to those in PR and marketing. What is new is the blending of the three in today’s media landscape. Organizations are breaking down interdepartmental walls and the siloed POEM media model will soon be a thing of the past. We’re seeing more and more advertising, marketing and PR teams working together to create one cohesive campaign.

The Importance of a Social Hub

I conducted a test, unscientific, but still yielded interesting results. I sat down and watched an hour of television. Within that hour, I noticed that ninety percent of the paid TV spots referenced owned media properties. Open any magazine today and you’ll see paid ads directing readers to corporate sites and social media pages. Paid and owned media are working together and for both to be successful, quality content is key.
Owned media properties can influence a consumer’s purchasing decision. Unfortunately, many organizations aren’t using this to their advantage and have failed when it comes to their own social hub. Many are static, hard to navigate and just plain boring. Creating a social hub can serve many purposes and can ultimately lead to the highly sought after earned media. Your social hub should serve as a one-stop shop for basically anyone with access to the Web. It’s here that you can promote and raise awareness of your brand, product and services and at the same time connect with end-users.

Tufts Now is an example of a well-executed social hub. Prior to launching Tufts Now, the team behind the hub decided to audit their existing web properties and soon realized many Tufts University departments were maintaining their own sites. This not only made it difficult for students, prospective students and faculty to find university information, but it was also difficult for the staff members maintaining the sites. This was the catalyst that led them to create Tufts Now. Their goal was to create a single destination for all audiences, both internal and external. The collaboration of the different departments was integral in the success of Tufts Now.

The Convergence of E-commerce and Content

A newer trend I’ve seen is earned media’s role in direct marketing, aka paid media. In the past, traditional press releases were ultimately written with media outlets in mind, but now the direct-to-consumer nature of social media has changed that. We’re starting to see the convergence of e-commerce and content in social media releases, tweets and Facebook posts. Instead of relying on the media to cover a product, SMRs have “click here to buy” written directly into the release. End-users have unknowingly become direct marketers for brands with their “just bought” tweets and Facebook posts. With the advancement of mobile technology and increase in mobile usage, will this trend become more mainstream? What trends or changes have you seen to the paid, earned, owned media model?

Ready for the blending of paid, owned and earned media? Join me for a 1 hour free virtual conference on 8/23 http://ar.gy/Xfm #radmedia

This post is part of the Future of Earned Media series.

Economic Woes - You Haven't Seen Anything Yet by Selena Spencer-Lipscomb

I am amazed that we are acting content in America about what is going on with our economy. Unless you live in a bubble, you are not immune to the disparity the poor and middle class are facing daily. Looks like the middle class is trying to maintain their worth and the poor are hoping to get a crumb from those who may live with an open heart. Our children can't focus on a well balanced meal, because they just want to calm the grumbling that is in their stomach right now.

When I am preparing for work in the morning, I am amazed at the superficial topics that are discussed like, what to where this fall, items to pack in your child's lunch or ways to invest your savings. I realize that many of these producers have no idea what is going on right around the corner from the production studio. I guess once the aftermath of this economic hot mess America is in, the world will see what is really going on.

You think things are bad now with our children, but imagine how bad it will be when these children no longer have a roof over their heads because their family's public assistance has ended. I don't think these children will care about what to wear, since the only clothes they'll own is on their backs already. These children won't care about what is in their lunch for school because they probably will just quit going to school altogether. Without a physical address, how can they register for school?

Let's get serious about the economy and start to create conversations that can bring about a solution to this economic crisis. We can look across the globe at other nations that are feeling the economic punch too, but to keep it local, just look outside.

So, what are you going to do about it?