Paid, Owned and Earned Media

For most media, advertising is an important source of revenue. This is where a gray area begins and compromises have to be found.

Questions quickly arise: How independent is quality journalism? Do we have to show consideration for advertisers?

Ultimately, all these questions can be answered easily: A successful and independent medium has a wide reach and is thus an important and necessary platform for the agency and advertising scene.

We experience it every month. The critical and constructive reporting brings interest and attention to E-3 magazine, from which the advertisers can also profit very well and successfully.

Owned media is a Pandora's box - very popular at the moment (corporate publishing: customer magazines, websites, business TV, corporate blogs, Facebook and YouTube), but of dubious value to the reader.

Why? Only rarely does it meet generally expected journalistic standards: A few weeks ago, SAP's website featured an interview with EVP Wieland Schreiner, responsible for Suite on Hana (SoH).

He mentioned a few interesting SoH installation figures. When I asked the SAP press office how to interpret these figures, the answer disappeared from the interview within 24 hours.

In a public medium, such "manipulation" would be impossible and unthinkable. In corporate publishing without a journalistic agenda, the reader is exposed to any arbitrariness.

When the message source also determines and controls the form and distribution, abuse and deception of the reader inevitably occurs. What the recipients of such messages feel is shown in the excellent YouTube video by John Oliver, see DIGIplus web link.

Earned media is also best known as viral marketing - it's a godsend for any business and can be briefly described as follows: You make classic advertising that is perfect, so that consumers voluntarily pass it on.

There are other aspects of earned media that, like some forms of paid media, are in the gray area between editorial and marketing.

What to do?

Any form of information, communication and educational work can be helpful, positive and successful. From our point of view, transparency, commitment, constructive criticism and partnership appear to be an important basis for any journalistic action in the SAP community.

Manipulating SAP's own reporting on its corporate websites is counterproductive and prevents any trust-based relationship management.