At every step along the adoption process, the many forms of “media” employed, whether human or inanimate, communicate messages about the company brand. The company has a high degree of control over some forms of media, but not so much control of others.
Those message delivery properties that a company controls — its website content, its physical assets (offices, plant sites, vehicles, etc.), literature and the brand messages conveyed by sales and customer support personnel, for example — are “owned” media.
Media that is the property of others and a company pays that entity to place its messages in those venues — think trade magazine advertising, display ads, trade show display advertising or a trade show booth itself — are “paid” media.
Something your company does that merits reference from someone outside of your company — an article in a trade publication, a satisfied customer who provides a referral — is “earned” media.
The closer a customer in a considered B2B purchase gets to buying, the more important your owned media becomes and the less important paid media and earned media become. Keep in mind, brand messages delivered by your people are owned media.
This graphic shows where the three types of media fit best and have the greatest utility and impact during the five-step adoption continuum. Whereas the consumer goods method of media mix weighs heavily toward paid media, Wirthwein and Bannon recommend the new mix for B2B considered purchases flip that model on its head and focus 75 percent or more of your efforts on owned media.
The authors state, “When we start working with clients, we almost always find that their implementation plans tend to under weigh owned media. When they do this, they completely miss out on employing a number of powerful tools that can help mobilize the brand.”
