TRADITIONAL DEFINITION: “EARNED MEDIA” IS GETTING YOUR BRAND FREE MEDIA RATHER THAN HAVING TO PAY FOR IT THROUGH ADVERTISING (CREDIT TO : FORRESTER).
Earned media is an old term and its definition has evolved over the years. While the idea of earned media being ‘word-of-mouth’ marketing is still central to the concept, marketers now also earn social endorsements and actions from the audience, rather than just passive impressions. The scale and delivery systems of earned media are vastly different in the age of social media, ad-blocking software, and information overload. Simply getting one’s message to the target audience is no longer just about buying enough mass media to get attention. Now that we can track interactions, we can monitor real value from actual reactions to content we produce or partner with influencers to create. The notion that all earned media is just free of cost is outdated, because marketers have figured out better ways to help build interest from journalists, influencers and audiences to encourage them to share content and comments about their products and services — and many of those involve costs that are minimal compared to the influence or engagement value gained.
It clear that the EMV of social media endorsements should be higher than that of direct paid advertising. This is both because of the similar or greater cost to produce the creative work that goes into these interactions as well as the increased value from influencer content because a third-party is actively engaged and speaking positively about a product or service (as opposed to a purely branded message).
This last point is important because consumers will either consciously or subconsciously view a traditional advertisement as the brand simply talking about itself. Research shows that consumers are increasingly ad-averse and prefer to learn about products from content rather than advertising. More importantly, they trust endorsements from third-party experts, online reviews and other parties far more than they do traditional advertising .