Editorial content is still the most powerful, despite new buzzwords being created to explain old marketing things:
Paid media = advertising (or paid editorial)
Earned media = editorial or any post about your brand by a third party in any media channel
Owned media = media channels you own in which you publish content – websites, social sites, printed literature, retail stores, events, newsletters, packaging…
The more others say positive things about your brand, the better for your brand, but you cannot run a business hoping others will promote you. Hope is not a strategy. You still have to invest in paid advertising, content creation and other such expensive marketing tactics.