How the Global Pandemic Invigorated Earned Media
By: Kimberly Grant
Ah, the good ‘ole days. We stuck together as a people. We banded together for the sake of entertainment. And, we attended events on a whim. Yes. I’m thinking of 2019, before the COVID-19 Pandemic; also known as the longest two weeks…ever.
Events and the Wave of the Past
There was a time, not too long ago, when marketers had no limits in the ways in which they could communicate their marketing messages. In-person marketing and filming was quite possible. Their audiences included B2B (Business to Business), internal (call centers), loyalty programs (database-driven), as well as out-of-home (billboards). There was even an audience for the most commonly known marketing: commercials.
Cue the Pandemic
Then, a global pandemic ground all personal and proximal human interaction to a halt. All productions shut down, including television commercials. This situation, while being terrible and causing many people to lose their lives and/or their livelihood, caused marketers to put on their thinking caps. They had products that they wanted to keep foremost in consumers’ minds and stale commercials that had been seen for months by an audience that was spending a lot more time watching television.
What to do now?
In this time of crisis, many people turned to social media for entertainment, comfort, and even protest. What better way to reach this at-home audience than with the devices and apps that were already in use? Enter earned media.
Earning Potential
Earned media is basically critics, reviewers, and even social media via paid partnerships with influencers. There are quite a few posts that appear on social media, like Instagram, that look like random entertainment. In actuality, these posts are commercials made, edited, and distributed by your favorite influencer. Celebrities even got into the paid partnership game. Take William Levy and Old Spice. Instead of going to a location and filming for 18 hours for a 30 second commercial, he enlisted his son to make a few videos with him. In these Old Spice “ads”, Levy and his son bond over body wash and deodorant. Laughable, yet memorable.
While the COVID-19 Pandemic is still plaguing us all, marketers are finding ways to continue to reach the masses; socially distanced. The earned media trend via paid partnership may not be a new idea, but it is certainly becoming more popular. It’s more cost effective than filming an actual commercial. And, earned media is a great way to watch your favorite heartthrob in marketing action.
While Kimberly Grant may not be in a paid partnership, you can view her free media here.
