Most marketers have by now figured out how to use search engine optimization and ad placement optimization to yield better results from their digital marketing efforts. But they are missing a third tool to help them get the best results. In our work with clients we invariably find that earned media accounts for a sizable portion of all traffic and lead generation (it's not unusual to see it account for anywhere from 25% to 40%). Optimization experts often talk of ...

Of all things that could potentially contribute to the financial value of a company’s brand, including product quality, customer service, and R&D, public relations has been one of the least studied and understood. We recently conducted a study to take a closer look at the role that public relations plays in building brand value by assessing the statistical relationship between media prominence (a measure of prominence of mentions in unpaid media) and brand value for the 100 companies in Interbrand’s ...