What is earned media value and how is it integrated into sponsorship performance reporting in youth sport?

• A. Value of unpaid media coverage; calculated via AVE or more advanced models; used to demonstrate reach and ROI.
• B. Value of paid media spend.
• C. A measure of product pricing.
• D. A qualitative impression with no ROI relevance.

Answer: (A)

Earned media value is the estimated monetary value of media exposure you gain without paying for it, such as news coverage, social media mentions, or influencer chatter sparked by a sponsorship. In sponsorship performance reporting, this value is translated into a dollar figure so you can compare unpaid exposure with what you would have paid for advertising (paid media) and gauge overall ROI. The common approach is to use advertising value equivalent (AVE) or more advanced models that estimate what the earned coverage would cost if it were bought as ads, then show how broad and effective the sponsorship’s reach is. In youth sport, this helps demonstrate the sponsorship’s visibility and potential impact to stakeholders, supplementing other metrics like impressions, engagement, and sentiment to tell a fuller ROI story. It’s not the value of paid media spend, not a measure of product pricing, and not merely a qualitative impression without ROI relevance.