
How an earned-first approach creates impactful integrated marketing in time of crisis
Two years into COVID-19, on a global scale, we are truly tired of everything being “unprecedented.” The daughter of our CEO, Scott Allison, works as a news anchor, and I think speaks for us all in saying she cannot wait to finally be given some news that is “precedented.”
The news cycle has remained an overwhelmingly busy one throughout this time as we contend with so much political and social tension alongside the ongoing pandemic. Brands need to be more sympathetic and smarter than ever in their storytelling to capture even a tiny share of consumer hearts and minds.
At A+P, although our work spans integrated paid, earned, shared and owned campaigns, we strongly believe in an earned-first approach to brand storytelling. Having started my career in consumer PR, the principles I learned when writing my first press releases and media pitches are still etched in my mind on the daily as I develop brand and content strategies for clients now. Here’s why three key principles for this framework are particularly important during times of crisis, and how you can apply them.