Which of the following is an example of paid media?

Paid media refers to any marketing efforts that involve a payment to promote content or reach an audience. This includes advertisements that a business pays for to gain visibility and attract potential customers.

In the context of this question, search ads are a prime example of paid media because they involve businesses paying to have their advertisements displayed on search engine results pages. This model typically relies on payment-per-click or cost-per-impression strategies, where companies invest money to enhance their visibility on search engines and drive traffic to their sites. This strategy is effective as it targets users based on their search queries, ensuring that the ads reach an audience that is already expressing interest in related products or services.

The other options, while valuable for digital marketing, do not involve a direct payment to disseminate content. A firm's website, blog, and email marketing can all be organic channels that do not require payment to function, even though companies might invest in them for quality and effectiveness. These forms of media are often utilized to build brand awareness and customer relationships without the direct cost associated with advertising placements.