I know that writing about the PESO model can seem a little retro. As useful as PESO is for marketing comms and PR professionals, it was coined in 2014 and you don’t see it mentioned as frequently any more, as maybe it’s just become part of the furniture now we’re all used to new media.

But during the pandemic, I’m more aware than ever of which brands are set up to use the model well. Those that haven’t integrated or invested in each area of the model may suddenly find themselves flat footed at a time when consumer behaviour is changing.

If you’re not familiar with the PESO model, it stands for paid, earned, shared and owned media – the model illustrates that each of these areas is merging to some extent and that where PR was once about earned media, it must now consider each of these four areas. You can read more about PESO via the model’s creator, Gini Dietrich. Though it was created to guide PR, it can be applied to marketing communications, too.

It’s easy to see how each area is changing in importance or usage, depending on which sector you work in.