Christopher Wallace
COM 6630 Assignment #1
The PESO model has been frequently used by communication and marketing professionals to organize media strategies. Based on the articles on the reading list, as well as additional sources, if necessary, answer the following questions:
1. What is the PESO model?
2. Define the four media channels - Paid, Earned, Shared, and Owned. Include a few examples for each one.
3. Does this model make sense to you? Why or why not?
To define the PESO model, one must first know how it came to be. Universities used to teach that PR and Marketing were two different entities. Although, because of the introduction of new ways of communication t audiences for profit, media strategies have grown into the PESO model. PESO stands for “paid, earned, shared, owned.” These are the different areas of media influence. Before, Ad-focused agencies focused on creative ideas for media as well as paid strategies. PR professionals focused on effectively communicating with journalists consulting in crisis communication strategies. At first, only a Paid-Earned-Owned model existed, but as social media was introduced, Marketing and PR strategies began to change. This was where “shared” came into play to form what is now “PESO”. This model is used to organize creative strategies and channels that are being invested in.
The “Paid” channel is primarily used by ad-focused agencies. It can be in the form of sponsored content, native advertising, or sponsorships. Areas such as these involve platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. You can get started in promotion with paid media for as little as $5 a day or with advertising coupons. Paid media is a wise investment because it ensures your ad’s navigation of platform algorithms to gain exposure with certainty. It is good to invest in paid advertising but not too much for the sake of spending money wisely and efficiently on other strategies. It can be expensive as well and lower your chances of true engagement as normal people tend to ignore or bypass paid advertising as its not authentic engagement from a media source.
The “Earned” channel involves trading content for an authority’s audience. This involves intense collaboration with journalists, bloggers, and influencers. Examples include Instagram photographers and digital artists or popular news anchors or photographers in the field of sports. the idea of “Earned” means that you want to receive their support of your media, content, and what products you distribute by in turn, sharing and supporting their media. You earn credibility and support by collaborating with and supporting other media influencers. The downside of this channel is that there is no guarantee that you will receive the same amount of engagement and support that you give to others. This channel takes time to build and can be expensive.
The “Shared” channel involves all social media platforms. This is where your content will thrive in communication and gain its audience. This is where you amplify your content through your own audience and build your base of content and advertising. Shared advertising is a low-cost area of communication which can also build more amounts of trust between those who engage with you. The drawback is that success in this channel is reliant on your level of engagement. There is no way to predict whether what you share will be successful or not.
The last area is the “Owned” channel. This content is specifically what you own have published to your own website and sources. This includes content from your own employees, experts, customers and native brands. It is overall user-generated content. It takes a combination of all other channels to build this channel though and can take time to build. The greatest positive about this area is that it is long-lasting and not reliant on other platforms.
For me personally, this model makes sense and I can see it’s uses in terms of navigating through digital culture. PESO can be used to effectively build a brand but what I have noticed is that it takes commitment, time management, adequate revenue all around, and an extroverted approach. Without these things, this model can fail. It’s success is ultimately up to who is applying it.
References
· How to Implement the PESO Model. (2020, March 11). Retrieved from https://spinsucks.com/communication/implement-peso-model/
· admin. (2020, January 20). Why and how PR pros should adopt the PESO model. Retrieved from https://www.prdaily.com/why-and-how-pr-pros-should-adopt-the-peso-model/
· PR Pros Must Embrace the PESO Model. (2020, March 5). Retrieved from https://spinsucks.com/communication/pr-pros-must-embrace-the-peso-model/
· Robinson, S. (2016, November 15). What is the PESO Model for Marketing? Retrieved from https://iterativemarketing.net/peso-model-marketing/