Burberry’s Spring/Summer 2012 runway show in London last week and the subsequent media buzz and participation they received afterwards, raises once again, the idea of brands becoming more and more like media companies. This concept was discussed after Sean Corcoran, an analyst at Forrester Research made the distinction interactive marketers need to increasingly make between Owned, Paid and Earned Media when determining their online strategies.
Image courtesy of Burberry's YouTube Channel
Owned media includes things like a company’s website, blog, or Twitter account. Paid media includes any sponsorships or advertising campaigns, and Earned media in the traditional sense is PR and quickly evolving into viral word of mouth promotion made by customers predominately on social media networks like Facebook. According to Corcoran, “earned media is often the result of well-executed and well-coordinated owned and paid media ” (blogs.forrester.com, 2009). One look at the way the latest Burberry runway show was communicated across Twitter and broadcasted on their website via live stream is proof of that concept in action. According to their Chief Creative Officer, Christopher Bailey: “Burberry is now as much a media-content company as we are a design company ” (mashable.com, 2011).
Brands are waking up to the possibilities of their digital assets and using them to broadcast their message using the latest forms of technology. Take Ralph Lauren, for example. In 2009 they produced an online-only fashion show for their Rugby brand that allowed the average viewer to see looks in real time, for the first time. One might say that the company, under the influence of David Lauren, has been leading in this space for some time. “Our intention was never to launch a website,” David says, “Our intention was to build a media brand ” (fastcompany.com, 2011).
The message is coming through loud and clear. Whether it is a 3D holographic runway show in Beijing (Burberry), a 4D light show on Madison Avenue (Ralph Lauren) or an e-commerce initiative for iconic red carpet gowns (Roberto Cavalli) brands are realising the power of digital and utilising it to earn media exposure.
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