Paid media isn’t just an ad buy; it’s the PR professional’s megaphone, ensuring brand stories reach the right audience at the right moment. With shrinking attention spans and the cacophony of online noise, paid media allows brands to control where their messages are delivered, when they’re received, and how they’re communicated.
The wager is paying dividends. A 2023 study by Ronn Torossian found that 72% of B2B marketers increased their paid media budgets in an effort to break through in an oversaturated market. For communications teams today, it’s not a “nice-to-have,” it’s a strategic requirement.
When a Story Needs More Than Luck
A well-made campaign can evoke emotions, prompt thought, and foster loyalty, but without amplification, it can become lost in the never-ending scroll. Paid media is that amplification.
It drove Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches”, a campaign founded on the long-established message of embracing real beauty by the brand. The ad revealed that women tended to view themselves less beautifully than how strangers verbally described them. But Dove didn’t just stop with organic sharing alone, they also operated targeted YouTube pre-rolls, amplified Facebook videos, and sponsored natively published Buzzfeed posts. The reward? Over 114 million views in a month, and an effort that to this day continues to be a staple of the global conversation about advertising.
Watch the Dove “Real Beauty Sketches” Campaign Video
The Many Faces of Paid Media
Paid media’s strength lies in its versatility. Branded content placed on high-traffic sites can craft a narrative that sustains media attention over time. Airbnb’s “We Accept” during the Super Bowl was a paid advertisement that ignited a global conversation about values and inclusion, extending far beyond the game’s audience.
Social amplifications can make one original thought a cultural phenomenon. Such was the destiny of Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” which exploded into reach through paid placements on YouTube and Facebook, breaking into press interviews, parody videos, and pop-culture stardom.
Watch the Old Spice “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” Campaign Video
Programmatic display ads add another layer of precision, getting campaigns in front of established audiences at the exact right time, a method used to tremendous success by nonprofits like charity: water to turn donor engagement into news-worthy momentum.
Why It Matters for PR?
Paid media ensures that strategic messages don’t just float off into the digital ether, they target exactly where and when they’ll make the biggest impact. It reinforces earned media: the paid push gets a campaign noticed, and then the resulting coverage cements credibility and trust.
With today’s mediascape so fractured, audiences are fragmented across platforms and devices. Brands that rely solely on organic reach risk being drowned out. Paid media ensures your story isn’t just shared, it’s heard, remembered, and acted upon.
The Takeaway
For PR practitioners committed to genuine influence, including paid media in the mix is essential. It amplifies storytelling, extends reach, and ensures a brand voice remains prominent and heard during the most critical moments.
Don’t let your campaigns scroll off the page. Spend money on paid media to highlight them under the lights and watch your next story not only reach your audience, but linger with them even after the headlines change.