“Just make it go viral.”. The brief we’ve all heard, but how many understand it for the complex, intricate, insight-fuelled undertaking that it is?

A meaningful, or positive cultural moment isn’t something than can just be conjured up. And even if it could, is all PR good PR?

The reality is that virality doesn’t always equal value. Sometimes an idea, or a moment can be linked to your brand and just take on a life of its own, far removed from the values and objectives of your brand or what you set out to achieve.

A viral idea isn’t something that’s just created, it’s crafted. Using exquisite attention to detail, human nuance and by being extremely dialled into the culture and moment in which its being shared.

That’s how you get the local council to investigate your Waitrose OOH billboard, turning a pricing message into nationwide coverage.

That’s how a simple, perfectly executed gag on a city street or in an ad slot gets captured, shared, and laughed about across media and newsletters, generating headlines and group chats far beyond your spend. Not because you forced it, but because you hit a cultural nerve.

Rob Beevers, Chief Effectiveness and Analytics Officer:

The best unpaid media moments are earned twice. First through the strength of the idea, and then through the clarity of response. Advertisers often mistake early exposure for final impact. They measure static reach, tick the box, and move on. But the true commercial value lies in what happens next, in the spiralling, unplanned spread that occurs when the public take your idea and run with it. 

Flora Williams, Head of Planning:

Earned media moments are something to be careful with. Something of interest when looking at the media metrics is that when Word of Mouth (WOM) exposure increases, purchase intent doesn’t always go up, and in instances can actually go down.’

Sometimes what you’re really tracking is people taking the mick, not building intent or affinity. Just because it’s funny doesn’t mean it’s necessarily working in your favour.

Ardel Amani, Head of Social Media:

To me, it’s about brands allowing their customers and the general public to define who their brand is. Great brands listen and adapt to this, rather than shut it down. 

A really successful TV ad was often measured by its ability to impact the vernacular. “Half moon, full moon total eclipse’ was (is) adopted by people for years whenever they ate a Jaffa Cake. But in today’s world of memes, content creators and public opinion, brands have a chance to adapt and evolve in real time to what is proving popular and true in their audience’s minds. For example, on Jaffa Cakes we’ve been leaning in to the nation’s debate about whether we’re a cake or a biscuit. 

The bottom line? Marketers need to place more importance on paying attention to culture as fuel for their creativity. Getting to know your audience deeply is what allows you to live at the intersection of creativity and relevance. Focusing on value and resonance over a “viral” outcome is how you create ideas that last. Putting both the idea and the culture of your audience at the heart of your thinking is what truly puts the ‘earned’ into ‘earned media’.