There are three kinds of content marketing -- paid, owned and earned media. Paid media is advertising inserted next to another publisher's content; owned media is brand-created content; and earned media is when an independent publisher provides content about a product or service.
"Each medium offers distinct advantages, and it is important that all work together," said David Hallerman, eMarketer senior analyst. "The best approach is holistic, where each channel supports the others, as when paid advertising produces earned word-of-mouth, which stimulates traffic to owned microsites."
While online marketing is primarily direct-response focused, the trend toward more brand-focused spending is clear. By 2014 nearly 42 percent of online advertising budgets in the U.S. will be spent on branding.
Within the display ad sector, the focus on branding also comes through. Spending on online video advertising will rise faster than display spending as a whole, while substantial budget will go to banner advertising.
Video and banners, along with search engine marketing, make up the major paid-media online formats. Company websites and blogs, along with in-house email lists, provide the owned component, where marketers have complete control over messages and can offer content that fulfills their overall goals.
And, while word-of-mouth has always been a key driver of purchase decisions, earned media also has new importance with the rise of social media applications.
"The mix of techniques required and the advantages marketers get from paid, owned and earned is far greater online than offline," said Hallerman.
"They must learn to construct campaigns that rely on all three types of media to engage with consumers and amplify brand messages. Paid, owned and earned media all contribute to the whole and to one another."
