Instead of just wondering whether or not your PR activities are on the mark, consider benchmarking studies by professional measurement groups to give you a leg up.
Benchmarking studies often mean the difference between a successful company realizing there's room for improvement, and one that's a bit too comfortable with where it is. The studies provide an objective evaluation of how companies and their competition are seen by the public, through the eyes of the media.
At the Media '96 Conference in New York City recently, Katharine Paine, CEO of The Delahaye Group (TDG), a PR measurement company in Portsmouth, N.H., outlined the steps to executing a benchmarking study.
The Perfect Study
Before contacting a measurement group, a client must know exactly what it wants to find out. The measurement group will work with the client to pick criteria by which to judge its PR success.
Paine suggests choosing three companies to compare yourself to: a stretch goal (one you think you can't out-measure), a peer company and an underdog. This way, when the research is conducted, a client can see how it matches up with its competition.
Benchmarking is done by comparing the coverage in specific print and electronic media publications to measure PR success over long and short periods, or to critique the company communications efforts surrounding one incident.
After a client decides which publications it wants to track, the typical criteria for judging coverage is based on: number of mentions, influence or tone, audience reached, messages communicated and company spokespeople.
The measurement group will give the client a summary report of the results and an overall evaluation of the client, compared to its competitors.
But it's what happens after the research is done that's critical --since it's likely you'll be left saying, "Well, what do we do now?" The whole study is for naught if the client doesn't enact ways to turn the conclusions into PR program improvements.
Most importantly, stressed Paine, the client should benchmark on a continuous basis, with a set amount of time between each study (every year or every other year).
Who's Benchmarking and Why?
"The days of half-a-million-dollar campaigns based on what people think the issues are, are over," due to the growing interest in fact-based decision making, said Albert Barr, president of the PR measurement group CARMA International in Washington, D.C.
Perhaps evident of the increased interest in benchmarking is the fact that Barr, in the past year, has received unsolicited phone calls asking about benchmarking, and has been asked to guest lecture about the importance of PR measurement.
Susan Schoonover, director of operations for media measurement company MediaLink/R Data in Norwalk, Conn., said, "PR used to be an art form that no one tracked, and now you can't just trust your programs without knowing where you succeed and fail."
Of course, a client can do its own benchmarking study. But measurement companies have more time and resources to conduct an effective measurement program. For example, they have access to thousands of publications all over the world to study any company that's covered in the press. Professional measurement companies also offer objective advice on improving PR practices and company image.
And the next time a client requests another study from the measurement company, it can compare the results and determine whether or not the advice worked.
Schoonover says ongoing PR research is helpful to her clients, who have signed yearly contracts with MediaLink/PR Data. When the first signs of negative press coverage on a specific company start appearing, she can see whether or not it's something to worry about, judging by the company's past trends.
"If people do content analysis before something quasi-catastrophic happens, they'll be in a better position to respond to the same media when it does happen," said Barr.
(The Delahaye Group, 800/926-0028; CARMA International, 202/842-1818; MediaLink/PR Data, 203/847-0777.)
What It'll Cost You
- A typical measurement program in the U.S. costs about $7,000-15,000 a year.
- An benchmarking program comparing a U.S. company to an international one costs about $3,000-$5,000 per country for a short period of time or $10,000-$12,000/country for six months to a year.
Learning Quick Damage Control
To minimize a media blitz held in honor of your company's flub, Katharine Paine of the Delahaye Group suggests following these four rules:
- Accept responsibility
- Offer a replacement product as quickly as possible;
- Offer to make good on broken promises;
- Cover all bases, esp. the Internet; and
- Measure results: how long did the storm last and how much damage did it wreak?