How to Use Owned, Paid and Earned Media in Your Digital Marketing Strategy (with examples from Adidas, Nike and McDonald's)

How to Use Owned, Paid and Earned Media in Your Digital Marketing Strategy (with examples from Adidas, Nike and McDonald's)

If you are a digital marketer, you may have heard of the terms owned media, paid media and earned media. But what do they mean, and how do they differ? And more importantly, how can you use them effectively in your digital marketing strategy?

In this article, I will explain the definitions, advantages and disadvantages, and some examples of owned, paid and earned media. Adidas was chosen for owned media, Nike for paid media, and McDonald's for earned media. These brands have outstanding digital marketing activities, which is why I am reviewing them. I will also share some tips on how to balance and integrate them into your digital marketing plan.

What is owned media?

Owned media is any type of content that you create and control for your brand. It includes your website, blog, social media pages, email newsletters, ebooks, podcasts, videos and any other web property that you own and manage. In other words, I would like to emphasize again that any content that you have full control over is your "owned media".

Owned media allows you to showcase your brand identity, values, products and services to your audience. It also enables you to communicate directly with your customers and prospects, provide them with useful information and education, and build trust and loyalty.

Some of the benefits of owned media are:

• It is cost-effective and has a high return on investment (ROI). You don’t have to pay for ad space or commission fees to create and distribute your content. so just start and post new content on your social media page.
• It is customer-centric and builds long-term relationships with your audience. You can tailor your content to their needs, preferences and feedback, and create a positive user experience.
• It is measurable and scalable. You can use various tools and metrics to track and optimize your owned media performance, such as traffic, conversions, engagement, retention etc. Some paid tools, such as HubSpot, Sprout Social, Inc., and so on, are available alongside the built-in free measurement tools.

Some of the challenges of owned media are:

• It takes time and effort to create quality content that attracts and engages your audience. You need to research your keywords, topics, trends etc., and produce content that is relevant, informative, entertaining or persuasive.
• It requires constant updating and innovation to keep up with the changing customer needs and expectations. You need to monitor your content performance, feedback, trends etc., and improve your content accordingly.
• It faces high competition from other brands that are also using owned media. You need to differentiate your content from others and stand out in the crowded digital space.

Owned media case study: adidas

Adidas is a global sports brand that uses its own website, blog and social media platforms as its main sources of owned media. Adidas creates and publishes various types of content on its owned media channels, such as product information, news updates, stories, videos etc.

Adidas uses its owned media to showcase its brand personality, values and culture (As you can see in the picture above, Adidas is trying to show the high importance of women's safety during runs or sports and this exactly shows a part of the brand's values and culture). For another example, on its website, Adidas has a section called ‘Creators Club’, where it invites its customers to join an exclusive community that offers rewards, experiences and access to products.

On its blog, Adidas shares stories of athletes, creators and innovators who inspire others with their passion and creativity. The below link directs you to the "Champion The Girls" article on the Adidas blog where you can see some famous football players' photos with their doughters and read more about them.

On its social media pages, Adidas posts engaging content that showcases its product features, benefits, innovations, collaborations etc.

Adidas uses its owned media to communicate directly with its customers and prospects. For example, on its website, Adidas offers live chat support, FAQs, product reviews, size guides etc. On its blog, Adidas encourages comments, feedback, questions etc. On its social media pages, Adidas responds to messages, mentions, tags etc. The following photo shows Adidas' response to a comment from a user.

What is paid media?

Paid media is any type of content that you pay for to promote your brand to a wider audience. It includes advertising or sponsored content on various platforms such as search engines, social media networks, websites or apps.

Paid media allows you to reach potential customers who may not be aware of or interested in your brand. It also enables you to generate awareness and interest in your products or services by using catchy and persuasive messages.

Some of the benefits of paid media are:

• It is fast and immediate. You can reach a large number of potential customers in a short time and generate quick results.
• It is effective for brand awareness and recognition. You can expose your brand to a wide audience and make an impression on them.
• It is suitable for mass-market products or services that have a broad appeal. You can target a general audience that may not be familiar with or interested in your niche.

Some of the challenges of paid media are:

• It is expensive and has a low ROI. You have to pay for every impression or click on your ad or sponsored content.
• It is intrusive and annoying for the customers. Many customers may ignore or block your ads or sponsored content if they find them irrelevant or disruptive.
• It is difficult to measure and optimize. You may not be able to track how many people saw or engaged with your ad or sponsored content or how they reacted to it.

Paid media case study: Nike

Nike uses various types of paid media alongside its powerful owned media to promote its brand and products to a wider audience. Nike uses paid media such as display ads, video ads, search ads, social media ads, influencer marketing etc.

It uses paid media to reach potential customers who may not be aware of or interested in its products (mostly new products). For example, Nike uses display ads on websites or apps that are relevant to its target audience, such as sports, fitness, lifestyle etc. Nike also uses video ads on platforms such as YouTube or TikTok that showcase its products' features, benefits, innovations, stories etc.

Nike uses its paid media to generate awareness and interest in its brand and products. For example, Nike uses search ads on platforms such as Google or Bing that match the keywords that its customers may use when looking for sports products or services. Nike also uses social media ads on platforms such as Facebook or Instagram that target the demographics, interests, behaviours etc. of its customers.

Nike uses its paid media to target mass-market products or services that have a broad appeal. For example, Nike uses TV commercials or billboards that reach a large and diverse audience with catchy and persuasive messages.

Nike also uses influencer marketing on platforms such as Facebook or Twitter to leverage the popularity and credibility of celebrities, athletes, bloggers etc.

What is earned media?

Earned media is any type of content that others create about your brand without any payment or incentive from you. It includes word-of-mouth recommendations, reviews, ratings, testimonials, mentions or shares on social media platforms or websites.

Earned media allows you to leverage the power of social proof and third-party validation for your brand. It also enables you to increase your brand reputation and credibility by getting positive feedback from satisfied customers or influencers.

Some of the benefits of earned media are:

• It is free and has a high ROI. You don’t have to pay for any ad space or commission fees to get exposure for your brand.
• It is authentic and trustworthy. Customers tend to trust other customers’ opinions more than brands’ messages when making purchase decisions.
• It is vital and influential. Earned media can spread quickly across various platforms and channels by word-of-mouth or social sharing.

Some of the challenges of earned media are:

• It is unpredictable and uncontrollable. You cannot guarantee when, where or how others will create or share content about your brand.
• It is susceptible to negative feedback or criticism. You may face negative reviews, ratings, comments or complaints from unhappy customers or competitors.
• It is difficult to measure and optimize. You may not be able to track how many people saw or engaged with the content created or shared by others.

Earned media case study: McDonald's

McDonald’s earns media such as word-of-mouth recommendations, reviews, ratings, testimonials, mentions or shares on social media platforms or websites.

McDonald’s earns media by providing quality products and services that satisfy its customers and make them loyal fans. For example, McDonald’s offers a variety of menu options that cater to different tastes, preferences and needs of its customers. It also provides fast and friendly service that makes its customers feel welcome and valued and is trying to earn media by encouraging its customers to share their positive experiences and feedback with others. For example, McDonald’s invites its customers to leave reviews, ratings, testimonials etc. on platforms such as Google My Business, Yelp, TripAdvisor etc. or share their photos, videos and stories on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. You can see more than 8M times McDonald's hashtags have been used in the photo below.

McDonald’s earns media by creating viral campaigns and slogans that resonate with its audience and generate buzz. For example, McDonald’s created the #ImLovinIt campaign that featured celebrities, influencers, musicians etc. who expressed their love for the brand and its products.

McDonald’s also created the #McDelivery campaign that encouraged customers to order food delivery from the brand and share their photos with the hashtag.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article and learned something new about owned, paid and earned media. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to comment here, contact me or visit my LinkedIn page for more information.

My name is Mahmood Motamedi and I am a digital marketing specialist with a master’s degree in strategic digital marketing from Aston University. I have experience in creating and implementing marketing strategies for various brands and industries.

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