The Power of PESO

For those unfamiliar with the jargon and acronym-filled world of marketing and PR (public relations), the word “peso” may bring to mind vibrant Mexican culture or a margarita on a beach; however, there’s much more global presence to the word than you’d think. “PESO” can mean a great deal to brands around the world looking to increase their visibility, generate engagement and boost consumer confidence in their product or service, without having to spend any time waiting for a currency exchange. 

The PESO model offers a clear way to segment marketing channels into clear groups. An acronym for “paid, earned, shared and owned,” PESO illustrates how different streams of content or outreach work together to build a holistic approach to visibility. 

There are pros and cons to each component, but a great communications campaign relies on all four working together to get the job done. We’ll break it down for you: 

PAID

Defined as: The service of paying money for media distribution. Often the first thing that most people think of when they hear “marketing.” This includes advertisements, or the paid content that appears in print, online, on TV, over airwaves or through their mobile screens through social media. It also includes paid lead generation programs, boosted content or social media ads, sponsored content in outlets or paid publishing. Some companies pay millions to not only have their brand content/ad created but shared in a high-visibility setting—there’s a reason Super Bowl ads have everyone’s attention. 

PROS: Paid media is reliable—the advertising industry has been around for years, and there's a good reason for it. With guaranteed exposure, paid media offers a surefire way for your message to be seen, and by the right audiences. It’s also quick to turn around, with some outlets and algorithms able to slot in your content immediately for publication. Lastly, it’s scalable, meaning the more money you have to spend, the more eyeballs you can guarantee have seen your content.  

CONS: Despite its scalability, paid media can be expensive (see: Super Bowl ads costing millions) if you’re looking to reach a large amount of people, or even a small amount of people but within a very targeted or niche demographic. Paid content can also be fleeting; once its time in the sun is up, it’s gone, meaning you need to keep up the level of investment if you want to maintain consistent visibility. Plus, people are sick of ads, and are quick to skip over them in favour of more authentic content. There’s little public trust in ads, making it hard to build a true connection to your target market. 

EARNED

Defined as: Our specialty! Think content created within an established audience based on expertise, news and insights. This includes media relations (i.e. the basis of all stories you read and hear in the newspaper, magazines and on TV), blogger/influencer relations (i.e. when your favourite TikTok creator shares their story about a brand), investor relations, and word-of-mouth. 

PROS: Earned media means you’ve been vouched for by an outlet—an authoritative presence has chosen to share your story/content, and their public audience chooses to read or listen to the outlet because they like and trust the content they produce. It’s been said that earned media stories are worth three times the value of paid advertising based on this “trust factor” alone. Earned media is also cost-effective, as you’re able to leverage the size and trust of an established audience, and media mentions or placements have long-term benefits. New and returning audiences can view and re-view this content if the stories aren’t deleted, with several SEO benefits built in for online pieces. 

CONS: Mentions, inclusions or feature stories about your brand are never guaranteed; journalistic integrity remains a high priority for outlets looking to share the truth of a story. If you want a fluffy piece, you’ll likely need to revert to paid media for it, especially with more and more media outlets in Canada shrinking and folding over recent years. Earned media is hard to scale, with each story requiring high effort to produce to ensure that authority/authenticity. This also means that effective campaigns require patience and budget for PR teams to be able to build this trust with target outlets over time. 

SHARED

Defined as: Amplifying your message or existing content through community channels. Think: sharing someone else’s post on Twitter. The goal is expanded engagement: the more people share content, the more new audiences and eyeballs you have on your message or brand. This includes social media, online forums and other digital options, but also collaborations like charity tie-ins, co-branded events or “takeovers” to swap branded content on different channels. 

PROS: People highly trust their peers more than the editorial content they consume, and especially more than advertisements. When brands post, create or engage with content from other companies, it’s also a sign of trust in a shared interest, common goal or alignment within the industry. Shared media is also low cost; amplification isn’t tied to dollars, but rather the quality of content produced and its shareability. 

CONS: Though you might think all content touting your brand name is good content, it’s hard to predict what media will be shared before it’s published. Shared media is unreliable, as sharing is never guaranteed (no matter how badly you want your brand to go ‘viral’). It’s also impossible to scale, as there’s no guarantee that audiences will react to your next piece of content similarly. 

OWNED

Defined as: Your own stuff! Often the easiest and most direct method of getting your message to your most supportive audiences, aka the ones that choose to follow and engage with your brand and your content. A great way to establish yourself as a thought leader, owned content includes blog posts, website content, newsletters, videos, webinars, podcasts, employee and customer stories and most other forms of content marketing you can think of. 

PROS: You own this, meaning you own the messaging. You can share what you like and focus on what you need to, without a third party filtering your ideas or putting words into your mouth. It’s also low-risk; since you own the content, you’re in full control of when things are published and how long they’re visible. Owned content also operates as a long-term asset, meaning that as long as it stays relevant, this content will continue to draw audiences over months or even years after it’s released. 

CONS: Though owned media is shared directly to your target audiences, it can take a long time to build said audiences. You’re not leveraging third-party authority or trust in peers—you’re creating your own, often from scratch. Owned media is the only type of content that also cannot exist independently. You can make as much content as you want, but until you’re combining this content with paid, earned and shared media strategies, you’ll be shouting into a void with no one to listen.