Attention. Authority. Authenticity. And, of course, that other “A” word: the algorithm.
What do organizations, brands, and agencies as seemingly disparate as UC Berkeley, the Center for AI Safety, and a CPG account team have in common? A realization that in the world of the new 4As they need to do things differently. As each of the organizations charted a new path, I count myself lucky to have been with them, from the first moments of doubt to celebrating the wins that came soon after.
At Berkeley, it meant bringing a seasoned communications team to the understanding that relying on someone else to tell your story—- the press release era— was no longer enough. The new earned requires an investment in the people and platforms to tell your own story. Sure, everyone had heard the word storytelling in countless decks, on LinkedIn profiles, and in brand studies (many by their own professors), but the idea that it would apply to an institution as respected and as elite as Berkeley hadn’t seemed obvious. Until it was.
At the Center for AI Safety, where I was serving as fractional CMO, the issue couldn’t have been more different: the young organization was sure its posts on X were enough to influence public opinion. Who needs legacy media, the thinking went. And maybe X would have been enough until the world started paying real attention to AI. What changed their minds? Seeing the impact of a front-page story in the New York Times. And for an agency about to take on a major CPG account, the challenge was follow-though: they had promised they could navigate the new earned; now they needed to deliver.
From Fortune 100 brands to elite universities, the need to navigate the new earned is real and urgent. It can seem overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be. You can start, one story at a time.