Why the PESO model includes ‘paid’

PR pros have long eschewed the role of marketers, perhaps from a desire to maintain the editorial/advertising divide. However, modern agencies must do it all.

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Editor’s note: This is our first article in a series about the PESO model. Each piece will examine a different part of the model, Paid, Earned, Shared and Owned media.

Just what should a PR agency be willing to pay for?

The strict division between editorial staff and advertising and marketing teams is, for many communicators, as essential as the separation of church and state, so why is “paid” media part of the equation?

PESO has become the standard for PR agencies, as many have become integrated marketing firms in the digital media revolution. However, some PR pros can’t come to terms with the weight put into paid media efforts.

Axia PR addressed this uneasiness in a PR post titled “What the PESO model got wrong.

The writer theorized:

PR practitioners aren’t in the business of buying or paying for content and media. This is what advertising and marketing does. We don’t make commercials or buy ads. True PR professionals don’t design advertisements or manage media buys.

However, many distribution options for PR pros are turning into channels for paid media.

A modern-day must

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