Written by Nicole Webb

UPDATE: 23 September 2025

Eyeballs at what cost?

Chinese officials are investigating outdoor clothing brand Arc’teryx after it apologised for a fireworks display in the Himalayan region of Tibet. The fireworks, resembling a dragon, lit up the foothills.

Aimed at ‘raising awareness of mountain culture’, the stunt has attracted criticism for the impact it may have had on a fragile ecosystem. It also appears to be off brand for the conservation-focussed company.

While biodegradable materials, the company said that it will work with an external agency to assess the project’s impact.

Earned does not equal stunts

A couple of weeks ago I attended CPRA’s Agency Leaders Retreat and was surprised (and frustrated) to discover a new definition of an ‘earned-first’ agency has emerged.  

As a PR agency based in Sydney for the past 26 years, our north star has always been earned. For us, yes, it can be to earn attention, but it is also about earning trust, earning advocacy, earning relationships and earning influence. 

What it is not – transactional, headline grabbing stunts tied to a campaign. 

Earned is more than a spike in coverage 

Trust is at the core of PR. It’s not paid for—it’s won through consistency, transparency, and authenticity. Think reputation management, ESG commitments and community engagement. 

And true PR is tested in moments of crisis. Guiding a company through public scrutiny or handling tough questions from the community (and media), demands a different toolkit—deep knowledge of issues management, media training, and policy understanding. 

When customers, employees, or partners speak up for your brand you are earning advocacy. Reviews, testimonials, employee posts on LinkedIn, or user-generated content all fall here. It’s powerful because it’s voluntary and often more credible. 

You earn relationships by building long-term, mutually beneficial connections with stakeholders (media, regulators, investors, NGOs, local communities) giving your brand a license to operate – and a seat at the table in bigger conversations.  

Earned Influence signals that a brand has gained authority and relevance in its field. Your thought leadership, keynote speaking, op-eds, or being invited to industry panels puts you in the driver’s seat. 

Being noticed because your story is worth noticing is great, but does it position you in ways that drive real reputation value and influence key stakeholders? 

Where did this new definition come from? 

It would appear this new ‘earned-first’ definition (a stunt that will get you media coverage) was born out of creative agencies who have bolted on PR services.  

Don’t get me wrong, creative agencies bring a raft of skills that the PR industry doesn’t have or does well, but the PR industry also has a kit bag full of skills that creative agencies could only dream about.  

If the goal is a headline-grabbing stunt, then a creative agency may deliver. If the goal is to protect and enhance reputation, build stakeholder relationships, and sustain influence beyond a single moment, specialist comms expertise is indispensable. 

And now with AI search relying on earned as a primary signal – LLMs lean heavily on high-authority, independent, trusted sources when generating answers, which is even more important to elevate the work a PR professional does. 

With AI-powered discovery (GEO or Generative Engine Optimization), earned media is emerging as a primary filter of credibility, trusted because it originates from authentic, third-party sources. I asked ChatGPT about the downstream effect if all earned media were based on stunts: 

• More noise, less trust in brand mentions.
• Shallow representation of companies in AI answers.
• Erosion of authority for brands that need credibility beyond entertainment.
• A loss of differentiation, because stunts are easy to replicate and quickly commoditised.

The lesson: Stunts can spark attention, but if they replace strategic, credibility-building earned media, they weaken both reputation and the signals AI relies on to rank, recall, and represent brands.