Four things were true when I established and copyrighted the PESO Model© 10 years ago.
First, I was convinced of its potential to transform the marketing and communications landscape and prove the value of a profession that had often struggled to do so.
Second, I was so passionate about its potential that I made it available to the industry to evangelize as the path forward for our profession.
Third, the marcomm landscape was quite different than what it is today.
And fourth, I had no idea what I was doing regarding copyrighting, licensing, training, and implementation. I mean, no idea.
It’s been quite a road of expensive lessons, evolution, and becoming educated on intellectual property, as well as learning how to turn a framework into a true career accelerator for marketing and communications professionals.
What began as a simple model has transformed the careers of thousands of practitioners who understood its potential early. Those early adopters aren’t just keeping pace with today’s complex marketing environment—they’re leading their organizations, commanding higher salaries, and delivering measurable business results that executives can’t ignore.
Meanwhile, countless others believe they’re “doing PESO” when they’re actually missing the integration that makes the model so powerful.
The gap between these two groups—true PESO Model practitioners and those merely dabbling in disconnected tactics—continues to widen, often determining the difference between career stagnation and professional advancement.
The World of MarComm Has Changed
The marketing and communications world of 2014 feels almost quaint by today’s standards. Back then, organic social media still delivered meaningful reach, news cycles lasted more than a few hours, and AI was something most practitioners considered a distant future concern.
In just a decade, everything has changed.
Social media has evolved from an experimental channel to a pay-to-play necessity. Content creation demands have increased exponentially. The pandemic fundamentally altered how we all consume information and interact with brands. And AI has rapidly moved from theoretical discussions to practical daily applications, reshaping our profession.
More significantly, C-suite expectations have transformed. Marketing and communications professionals are no longer judged by outputs, such as the number of news releases issued, but by outcomes—measurable business results that directly affect the bottom line. Those unable to demonstrate this connection find themselves increasingly marginalized in budget discussions and strategic planning.
Practitioners thriving in this environment share a common trait: they’ve embraced the PESO Model—a fully integrated framework—as the only viable path forward. They understand that siloed approaches—treating paid, earned, shared, and owned media as separate tactics—simply can’t generate the amplification necessary to break through today’s noise.
This is where the gap between PESO Model-certified practitioners and their peers becomes most apparent. While many professionals struggle to adapt to these rapid changes, those properly implementing the integrated approach are turning industry challenges into career opportunities.
You’re Not Using the PESO Model Correctly
Let me be blunt: most professionals who claim to use the PESO Model aren’t actually doing so. We come across so many practitioners who say they’re using it but, in fact, are just choosing tactics from each media type and calling it a day.
My friends. That is not the PESO Model. It’s a list of tactics. You might have a paid advertising strategy, some media relations, social media posts, and content on your website.
But that’s not integration, and it’s certainly not the PESO Model—it’s just doing four things separately.
True PESO Model implementation is a scientific framework that we evolve every year. It’s where each element reinforces and amplifies the others through deliberate, strategic connection points.
It’s owned content being strategically promoted through paid channels to specific audiences. It’s earned media coverage being extended through targeted social amplification. It’s shared content inspiring journalists to develop deeper stories. It’s every piece of content working harder because it’s part of an integrated ecosystem rather than a standalone tactic.
Meanwhile, those implementing parallel tactics across different channels are finding it increasingly difficult to break through the noise, justify their budgets, or demonstrate meaningful results.
What’s most telling is how this gap manifests in professional advancement. Those who truly understand integrated implementation are increasingly being elevated to strategic roles, while those stuck in tactical execution find themselves struggling to prove their value.
Tactics versus strategy. Measuring outputs versus outcomes. They’re just entirely different conversations and results.
PESO Model 2.0
Recognizing this widening gap, we’ve spent the past year reimagining how the model can better serve professionals in today’s environment. The evolution focuses on three key areas:
1. Rigorous, Current PESO Model Certification
Starting next month, all PESO Model certifications will be valid for two years before requiring renewal. This isn’t about creating recurring revenue—it’s about ensuring that when you identify yourself as a certified practitioner, it represents current expertise, not a one-time learning experience from years ago.
2. Advanced Implementation Frameworks
We’ve developed new frameworks that address specific scenarios, from resource-constrained teams to enterprise-scale strategies, agency-specific approaches, and industry-specific applications. These frameworks move beyond theory to provide actionable playbooks tailored to your organizational reality.
3. AI Integration Throughout the PESO Model
We’ve completely reimagined how artificial intelligence fits within the PESO Model—not as a separate consideration, but as an integrated capability that enhances each component, from identifying high-potential content topics to implementing intelligent amplification, predicting outcomes, and creating sustainable content workflows.
Together, these evolutions ensure that certified practitioners will continue to stand out in an increasingly competitive landscape. These changes represent the most significant update to the PESO Model since its inception and will reshape how forward-thinking professionals approach integrated marketing and communications.
Why We Need a Dream Team
To make all this happen, I realized something important: I needed help from people who truly understand the PESO Model and bring different perspectives and talents to the table.
I’m excited to share that I’ve put together a leadership team that I’m absolutely thrilled about:
Travis Claytor, Chief Integration Officer
I’ve worked with Travis for years, and every time I sit in a client meeting with him, I’m blown away by his insights. He has an uncanny ability to look at an organization’s existing efforts and immediately see integration opportunities that others miss. He’s implemented the PESO Model across multiple industries and consistently delivers exceptional results.
In his new role, Travis will ensure that when you work with us, you get practical guidance that actually works in your specific situation.
Shelly Verkamp, Chief Learning Officer
With 23 years at Eli Lilly leading learning and development initiatives, Shelly understands how busy professionals learn and implement new approaches. She’s already reimagining how we teach the PESO Model, developing approaches that work for different learning styles and organizational contexts. She’s effectively taking what’s in my brain and making it accessible to everyone, no matter your learning style.
Under Shelly’s guidance, our certification program, online courses, guidebooks, and other materials will be a transformative learning experience that gives you practical tools to implement immediately.
Christopher Barger, Chief Strategy Officer
Twelve years ago, almost to the day, Christopher and I happened to be in London at the same time. Over drinks, we talked about how much fun it would be to work together someday. That day has arrived!
He has implemented winning communications programs at IBM and General Motors and has consulted for Fortune 500 companies. He understands the real-world challenges that professionals face in proving their value, and he knows how to overcome them.
He will lead the development of our new implementation frameworks, helping you quickly identify gaps in your current approach and opportunities for greater integration.
Together, this team brings practical expertise in integration, adult learning specialization, and strategic leadership to help your efforts deliver measurable business outcomes.
With this expanded and highly experienced leadership team in place, we’re ready to elevate the PESO Model and help more practitioners implement it correctly. But this raises an important question: how do you know if your current approach needs improvement?
How to Know if You’re Being Left Behind
Consider these telling indicators that your PESO Model implementation may be falling short:
The Integration Test
Take any significant piece of content your team has created recently and track its path. Did it begin as a blog post that was strategically pitched to relevant media? Was the resulting earned coverage amplified through targeted paid social? Did you capture the ensuing conversations as shared content that drove additional owned content creation?
If you can’t trace clear pathways for your content across all four media types, you’re likely implementing parallel tactics rather than an integrated strategy.
The Measurement Reality
Teams that implement disconnected tactics typically report isolated metrics, such as social media engagement, media impressions, website traffic, and click-through rates.
In contrast, PESO Model practitioners measure integrated efforts and can draw a direct line from their marketing or communications efforts to business outcomes. When executives ask “what’s the ROI?” they have concrete answers, not just activity reports.
Many talented professionals are working incredibly hard on disconnected tactics while wondering why they’re not seeing breakthrough results. And oftentimes, blaming the PESO Model. It’s not the fault of the framework. The answer often lies not in working harder but in implementing smarter through integration.
PESO Model Certification Advantages
The career trajectories of PESO Model-certified practitioners tell a powerful story about the professional advantage of mastering integration:
- Recruitment inquiries increase significantly after adding certification to LinkedIn profiles
- Internal advancement opportunities expand as executives recognize the strategic value of integration expertise
- Consulting and freelance practitioners command premium rates for implementation guidance
- Speaking and thought leadership opportunities multiply as organizations seek integration insights
This isn’t just about career advancement—it’s about career sustainability. As automation and AI increasingly handle tactical execution, the professionals who thrive will be those who can develop integrated strategies that these tools support rather than replace.
The industry is splitting into two distinct career paths: tactical executors and strategic integrators. Certified PESO Model practitioners are consistently finding themselves on the more rewarding, secure, and influential path, not because they work in more prestigious organizations, but because they approach marketing or communications fundamentally differently.
Are You Ready to Evolve With Us?
We stand at an inflection point for our profession. The coming years will bring even more rapid change—new platforms, shifting algorithms, evolving audience behaviors, robots completely taking over our mundane tasks, and technologies we cannot yet imagine. Through it all, one thing remains constant: the power of strategic integration to deliver measurable results.
The question isn’t whether you’ll adapt to these changes, but whether you’ll do so reactively or proactively. Whether you’ll piece together disconnected tactics or implement a cohesive strategy that multiplies the effectiveness of everything you do.
Ten years ago, I created this model because I believed our profession deserved a seat at the strategic table. Today, I’m more convinced than ever that proper PESO Model implementation is the key to claiming that seat. The framework has evolved, the support system has expanded, and the opportunity is clear.
The only question that remains is: are you ready to evolve with us?
© 2025 Spin Sucks. All rights reserved. The PESO Model is a registered trademark of Spin Sucks.
