Image courtesy of AMEC
In an effort to promote the use of analytics in public relations, the International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC) has designated September as Measurement Month. The month features an abundance of webinars, panel discussions, podcasts, workshops and other free events on PR measurement designed to emphasize the importance of media measurement to demonstrate the value of PR.
[Tease: CyberAlert LLC will make a major product announcement during Measurement Month and will issue the comprehensive all-new 2015 Handbook of PR Measurement. Stay tuned here.]
In recent years, PR measurement has become more widely accepted and applied through use of digital monitoring and measurement dashboards that incorporate quantitative metrics such as volume and reach and qualitative measurement of sentiment/tone and messaging. However, PR measurement often focuses on shiny graphics and lacks meaningful analysis or insights that link to objectives, measurement experts observe.
For example, the PR consultant for the Washington Redskins reported that 7,845,460,401 people – more than the entire world population — read about the team’s training camp from July 24 to Aug. 12 last year. The 7.8 billion figure, originally reported to be unique visitors, was actually impressions, representing the number of times all articles or social media mentions about the team’s training camp could have theoretically been seen.
“It doesn’t matter if every person on Earth read about the Washington Redskins 2014 training camp if it didn’t translate into some action such as increased ticket sales,” said Michelle Hinson, chair of the Institute for Public Relations Measurement Commission and director of PR measurement at CyberAlert LLC.
Unreliable Metrics Still Common
Many PR professionals use unreliable and unhelpful vanity metrics such as impressions. Use of ad value equivalency (AVE) and multipliers persists despite the fact that most every professional PR organization has condemned the use of AVE in PR measurement.
“Continued use of invalid metrics like AVE and improper use of measurement data reflects badly on the PR profession,” Hinson said. “On the opposite end of the measurement spectrum, those that embrace more advanced measurement approaches are elevating PR practice. Using new analytics approaches, they refine big data into more focused sets of data that provide real context and insights into communications’ effectiveness in the organization.”
The first step in PR measurement is to set objectives, Hinson said. “If you don’t set objectives, how do you know what is important? How do you allocate resources? How do you know what you should measure? You don’t.”
In the past, PR measurement meant counting clips, gauging media circulation, and comparing the value of earned media to advertising through advertising value equivalency (AVE). PR can now take advantage of media monitoring services to monitor all earned media mentions in news and social media, measure how positive or negative the coverage was, and determine how media mentions influence business objectives. For better insight on how they are performing and positioned, many companies also compare their PR results to those of their competitors.
Even with the availability of “big data” and advanced media measurement software, analytics and measurement remain a major skills gap in the PR profession. Today, analytics skills are a necessity for PR to drive successful campaigns and demonstrate value to upper management many measurement experts counsel.
Survey Measures PR Shortcomings in Measurement
An AMEC survey confirms that PR measurement remains far from optimal, though progress has been made. Out of the 587 communications professionals surveyed
- 56% are unhappy with the current availability of information,
- 57% are not familiar with the Barcelona Principles,
- 35% are unacquainted with valid metrics framework,
- 60% are unhappy with the role of measurement in planning,
- 63% are dissatisfied with the ability to demonstrate the impact of communications on business.
“The overwhelming consensus is that PR professionals would like their evaluation programs to be more sophisticated, and to continue developing and improving them,” the AMEC report states. “This is a positive result, as it displays little complacency towards their current measurement arrangements, a willingness to evolve and refine programs to better suit individual needs, and a recognition of the importance of customization.”
Visit the AMEC Measurement Month Calendar to register for events.
Bottom Line: September has been designated as Measurement Month in an effort to promote the use of PR measurement. Although measuring public relations has become more sophisticated and respected, shortcomings remain. Many PR pros use unreliable vanity metrics and fail to measure results against objectives. Measurement Month hopes to change that.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
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