Traditional media holds its own against new channels
One of the biggest debates within the corporate communication space is whether or not earned media through traditional channels like news, is more or less valuable than content created by a company. A recent study has further added to this debate, taking the pulse of public relations experts themselves to determine how effective professionals in…
One of the biggest debates within the corporate communication space is whether or not earned media through traditional channels like news, is more or less valuable than content created by a company.
A recent study has further added to this debate, taking the pulse of public relations experts themselves to determine how effective professionals in the field find these competing communication avenues.
The research, from the University of Georgia in the US, polled public relations workers and business people to determine which avenue was recognised as having more value. The study revealed that traditional, earned media is still seen as more important than that communicated directly by a company.
Professor Pauline Howes, one of the academics who worked on the research, highlighted the benefits that come with having an effective communication strategy.
“When asked directly, public relations practitioners and businesspeople in this study said they see independent media coverage as more credible than controlled, or paid, media,” she said.
“Both types of communication are used by businesspeople, but an independent source may be viewed by audiences as having more credibility because it is not controlled or influenced by the subject of a story.”
While PR professionals and businesspeople may still place value on earned media coverage, there are advantages to come from companies developing their own content. In fact, journalists are now relying on corporate PR materials more than ever before, especially content like digital video, making these resources an important investment for firms.
The research also highlighted that many controlled experiments have shown no distinction in the perceived credibility of content created by independent sources, compared to that drafted by companies.
With digital avenues continuing to grow and the space for companies to engage in self-publishing increasing, the question of which source holds more credibility is only going to increase with time.
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