3 Case Studies of Successful PR Measurement

Demonstrating the value of public relations to corporate leaders has always been challenging. Many PR pros tend to gravitate to metrics that are easy to capture and report, but CEOs and CFOs don’t brag to investors about Facebook likes or retweets. Top executives want to see proof that funding for PR shows results that impact the bottom line.

Tracking the right metrics, linking PR efforts to key business objectives, and showing how PR contributes to company’s bottom line is the way PR can impress C-level executives (and position PR for budget increases). Demonstrating the value of public relations to corporate leaders has always been challenging. Many PR pros tend to gravitate to metrics that are easy to capture and report, but CEOs and CFOs don’t brag to investors about Facebook likes or retweets. Top executives want to see proof that funding for PR shows results that impact the bottom line.

The following three case studies from the International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communications (AMEC) provide helpful insights on how to measure public relations campaigns in ways that influence CEOs and CFOs.

Victoria and Albert Museum

The Victoria and Albert Museum in London gained unprecedented access to the David Bowie Archive to display a career retrospective of the British pop star. Its main objective was to increase visitors to 230,000 over a six-month period. Secondary objectives included attracting new audiences, generating excitement for the new exhibit, obtaining advance ticket sales.

The museum timed different activities to isolate PR’s impact on ticket sales from other marketing tactics. It used market research to better understand media consumption of different audiences, linked PR and earned media efforts to the museum’s business outcomes, and determined the extent of audience reach by connecting sponsor mentions to its market research.

Its measurement showed the significant impact of its press launch and subsequent press campaigns on ticket sales ahead of the exhibit’s opening. It showed that PR helped reached new audiences both in the UK and internationally and provided evidence of a PR’s positive impact on ROI. The exhibition exceeded the visitor target by 36 percent: 27 percent of attendees were first time visitors and 24 percent were from overseas.

V&A membership saw a positive rise during the exhibition, with more than 10,000 people joining and taking V&A membership to an all-time high.

Maybelline New York

Maybelline New York, an American cosmetics brand, decided to relaunch its Hyper Sharp Liner in the competitive Hong Kong cosmetics market. It decided on a one-month campaign targeting its social media audience.

It initially evaluated its “buzz” share before and after the product’s launch and compared it to competitors’ shares of mentions, identified the sources of mentions during the campaign and the sources’ level of online influence, and measured brand awareness and product perception across different promotional channels.

Maybelline conducted traditional and online research, including focus groups and social media monitoring to research the product and consumer preferences. Research revealed that consumers frequently mentioned ‘Eye Liner,’ both in relation to Maybelline as well as competitors.

It created several social metrics (KPIs), including post engagement, post views and number of followers, to measure bloggers who received the highest engagement from their recent blogs or vlogs. Armed with that information, it recruited top-ranking bloggers to participate in an exclusive product launch.

Its market research revealed that consumers don’t know how to create a personalized liner look, are conservative and reluctant to try dramatic appearances with makeup but are willing learn. They like to follow trends and look unique but fear appearing too unusual. In response to the insights, Maybelline created tutorial posts and videos on application of eye liners for Facebook and YouTube.

Bio-Oil

Bio-Oil, which sells skin treatment for scars and stretch marks in the UK, sought to protect its position as a market leader by engaging and growing its social media community. Its campaign, “Every Body has a Skin Story,” was designed to facilitate peer-to-peer recommendations through social media and reinforce brand loyalty.

The campaign involved a mix of PR, digital and social media advertising, point of sale marketing in pharmacies, and social media marketing with specific goals for reach and engagement. With its #myskinstory hashtag, it engaged with celebrity followers, retailers, charity partners and new fans.

It encouraged bloggers to share stories and pursued traditional media coverage. The brand employed media monitoring to measure the quantity and circulation of media coverage.

There was an average of 4,420 people mentioning the topic each week, representing an average engagement rate of 3 percent, and 568 stories were shared, exceeding the 500 target.

The campaign reached 13.9 million people through media coverage, social media posts and Bio-Oil’s own social media platforms.

A survey of Facebook users indicated that 48.4 percent of users felt that the Bio-Oil Facebook page had encouraged them to purchase the product, and monitoring posts for sentiment showed that 90 percent were positive during the campaign.

Bottom Line: While firmly linking PR to traditional business goals can be challenging, public relations professionals can analyze these PR measurement studies for information and inspiration. Establishing definitive goals, tracking brand mentions media and social media, and linking those mentions to business goals are typical hallmarks of a solid PR measurement plan.