New Study from Outsell and PR Newswire Finds Earned Media Amplifies Marketing Impact

Research Reveals Untapped Potential for Earned Media as Part of the Marketing Mix

PR Newswire – NEW YORK, June 29, 2016
A recent research study commissioned from Outsell by PR Newswire looks at the use of earned media and the ways in which it can be integrated with paid and owned channels to maximize marketing effectiveness.

The new study, The Earned Media Opportunity, includes findings from Outsell’s 2016 survey of over 1500 senior marketers, as well as interviews with CMOs. Outsell, a research and advisory firm focused on media, information, technology, and the business of data looked to answer three key questions that marketers have about earned media: is it effective, is it widely used and how can firms improve their earned media results?

"We commissioned this research to provide insights to marketing executives who are struggling to improve results in a digitally driven marketplace of empowered buyers and decreasing trust in brands," said Ken Wincko, Senior Vice President of Marketing, PR Newswire. "The study found that rebalancing the marketing mix to deploy more resources toward earned media in combination with paid and owned channels delivers dramatically higher impact. This is demonstrated at PR Newswire, where our use of earned media programs  integrated with paid and owned channels have resulted in five times more downloads of our content, and a 40 percent increase in our conversion rate."

In the paper, Outsell analyzes the effectiveness of digital and traditional marketing methods for lead generation and brand awareness for B2C and B2B firms, as well as views on earned media. Findings include:  

• Audiences view earned media as the most authentic and trustworthy form of marketing;
• Earned media was rated as “More” or “As Effective” as paid media by  81% of small firm marketers vs. 73% at large firms; and
• B2B and B2C marketers agree that pull marketing methods such as social engagement and analyst evaluations are more effective than push marketing methods such as native advertising

The white paper concludes by offering CMOs and marketing executives best practices to amplify the effect of earned media across channels.   

“Marketers are deploying multiple methods to improve their earned media results,” according to Outsell Affiliate Analyst Chuck Richard. “Audiences view natural and organic earned media as authentic and more impactful.”

To download the white paper in full and discover The Earned Media Opportunity, click here: http://prn.to/28WlCWE