Earned Media Thinking

This is a reproduction of a piece that I wrote for the 2015 Superbrands Annual. 

Far from being a modern-day phenomenon, getting wind of and passing on great ideas is ancient practice. Since the dawn of time, ideas and occasion worth sharing have gained exposure - originally by word-of-mouth, then in print, now via social media. The evolution of share ability finds us in pioneering times, tasked with upping the ante and think of new ways to get people talking. 

The question on everyone's lips is "How?"

In 1974, the Smash Martians scoffed at us for the shameful way we wasted time peeling and boiling potatoes for mash. It was a disruptive ad, different to a lot of other things on TV at the time, and it got people talking.

With its Martian ad, BMP quashed the idea that packaged goods were boring, sending sales of Smash through the roof – all because it got the nation talking about those Martians. The British public loved the spot so much that they voted it the best TV advert of the 20th century.

Fast-forward to Levi’s 1985 ‘Laundrette’ commercial. It caused such a sensation that it not only revitalised Levi’s fortunes, but changed the nation’s underwear habits too. Almost overnight, it seemed, British men swapped briefs for boxers.

Behold the power of a good idea. 

By implementing that power, ad executives of the 70s and 80s created what we now think of as ‘earned media’ – in truth, it was simply a by-product of them having done their jobs incredibly well.

While we fret about the ‘earned media strategy’, the ad guys of old only needed great ideas to push out to ITV or Channel 4; they didn’t need to plan for earned media. People would watch the resulting ads and, if they were good, they’d become the subject of chatter in playgrounds, shops, workplaces and pubs across the land.

Today, things aren’t so simple. With endless TV channels to flick through, we in marketing find ourselves in media open waters; a long way from the hazy communications utopia of yesteryear.

The media landscape has fragmented immeasurably. Social media has wrested control of messaging away from marketers and put it directly into the hands of consumers. Every marketer in the world understands the value of earned media – people talking about your product or brand – but very few understand how to get it.

The best marketers have learned to embrace the chaos of today’s multimedia landscape; they understand that you can plan for earned media opportunities early. These marketers know exactly what their counterparts in the 70s and 80s knew: a truly brilliant idea will always deliver earned media, far outperforming that of a PR plan or social media strategy.

We all know the story of the Red Bull man who fell to Earth. But do you know that the Stratos stunt was aired on nearly 80 TV stations in 50 countries? Or that the live webcast was distributed through 280 digital partners and racked up 52 million views, making it the most-watched live stream in history?

The team at Red Bull engineered brilliant content and planned to earn media. They knew that by doing something as extreme dropping a man to Earth from the edge of outer space, people wouldn’t miss it for anything.

With a considered earned media approach, Volvo Trucks also proved that a strong consumer insight plus truly epic content equals huge earned media results.

Like Stratos, the ‘Live Tests’ planned to earn media from the outset. Rather than appeal to those directly purchasing trucks, the team at Forsman & Bodenfors designed content that would happily be viewed and shared
by the people who most influence truck buyers’ purchasing – their family and friends, colleagues and bosses.

The result? A series of films that culminated in an audacious, unedited sequence featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme doing the splits while perched between two trucks reversing simultaneously in unbelievable harmony. The films generated tens of millions of YouTube views and sparked brand conversations around the world.

This is what happens if brands plan to earn media. But what if they move it even further up the stream?

Apple, Netflix and Nike are brands that earn media not through advertising, but by delivering outstanding brand experience and customer service.

Apple’s Genius Bar helps with tech issues. Its Apple Pay allows customers to flit in and out of Apple Stores, paying for their purchases on their iPhones – meaning that if customers don’t feel like speaking to a salesperson, they don’t have to. These insightful extras have resulted in brand- obsessed customer advocates, which are a strong earned media platform.

Netflix also earned media through a fanbase that passionately advocates its service and its growing body of original programming. By understanding the type of content people want to view and how they want to view it, Netflix cultivates consumer advocacy.

Nike has built a multimedia ecosystem around its core products. Its stores offer a personalized journey with staff keen to kit you out for whatever activity you’re into. If gadgets are your thing, the FuelBand activity tracker is right up your street; if the gym gives you the fear, Kinect Training allows you to workout at home; running clubs create communities and bespoke trainer customisation champions individuality. Niketown offers its shoppers countless reasons to visit, own the best products and share their made-to-order experiences. All of these factors come together to deliver passionate customers and earned media.

But we can do better yet. 

Imagine if we stopped thinking of ‘earned media’ solely as the outcome of great marketing and instead established talkability and shareability as requisites of great product or service design. If brands championed earned media values throughout all operations – from product conception to point of purchase – they could create something that would really get people talking.

This is the future of sharing and word of mouth: earned media 2.0, whereby ‘marketing’ equates to a holistic approach where sharing is baked in to every stage of business, from R&D and NPD to customer service and advertising.

Or, you could just save your entire ad budget for Christmas and blow it on a film with a singing cat, and hope that gets people talking.

Whichever works for you.