“Seismic shifts” and “dramatic cutbacks” are among the phrases recently associated with the media business. The most successful media companies are digital first and constantly tinkering with the business model (“pivot to video,” “subscription-based”) to remain profitable. Legacy media companies are seeking alliances with the nimbler digital natives and the political climate and other forces are eroding trust in what was formally seen as the last trustworthy institution. The impact of both search and social on the success of the stories coming from companies, influencers and the media itself is best explained through the Edelman Media Cloverleaf construct and every strategy we created for earned media campaigns is based on this reality.
Storytelling based on an earned-centric (idea that connect directly to a societal nerve creating a conversation that both media and influencers want to join and extend) which social by design (built to be shared) is at the heart of Edelman’s approach.
The “earned” part of “earned centric” also means skilled professionals continue to work with reporters, editors and producers to ensure our clients stories are worthy of coverage/inclusion. Best known as “media relations,” Edelman (and its wholly owned subsidiary companies – Edible, UEG, Revere, Salutem, KrisPR) have some of the best specialists in the industry. In fact, our two Cannes Lion Grand Prix Awards were for the media relations portion of larger integrated campaigns.
Our approach to media relations combines experience with a much more data-based understanding of the audience. Through a combination of partnerships and research we understand what platforms and channels people use and why, how the devices they use are changing their consumption habits and the specific content needs of media so that we can create meaningful visual assets that support our stories and make them shareable. But we also nurture and value a hands-on approach to building actual relationship with media – allowing us to be less transactional and more focussed on appropriate co-creation.
Across the globe, our experts in earned media (among their ranks are many former journalists) often collaborate across practices, sectors and geography to achieve the best results for our clients and to grow and evolve our approach in real time.