Editor’s Note: It’s difficult enough to create a corporate culture. It might be more complicated to re-shape an established culture. This is what Whitney Drake, communications story bureau & analytics lead, General Motors, and Phil Musser, Boeing’s CCO and SVP of communications, are doing. Specifically they are moving communicators to embrace data and analytics and use insights obtained from measurement. Recently they shared some experiences with PR News. Their responses were edited for space and clarity.
Many organizations view measurement and data reports as a box to check, something they need to do periodically whether they like it or not. How can an organization ensure that it’s using insights from measurement to drive action rather than just creating reports that are going to be filed away?
Whitney Drake:A lot of times, we go out, we do a campaign, and then we measure it at the end and someone puts it on the shelf. We’re not taking action from those insights,either to inform the next campaign or we didn’t start with insights at the beginning of the campaign. What General Motors is trying to look at is how those insights change the way we go about doing something in the future.
For example, in the summer [of 2018] Chevrolet wants to have a huge push on safety, so we did a lot of research and found out most teen drivers turn 16 in July and August and the 100 deadliest days for crashes occur in the summer. So, we used that research to inform the way we structured the campaign. But those [typesof campaigns] are one-offs in our organization, they’re not happening on a regular basis. We’re working to drive that into the future in every project and product that we produce.
Something a lot of communicators hear these days is that the C-Suite doesn’t want access to a tool, it just wants to be able to answer a question. How can we make sure that leadership is getting real-time data alerts during a crisis?
Phil Musser: As CCO, I’m relying on a team of people to support me in that regard, so [during the April 17, 2018 Southwest Airlines crisis] that was by phone, text and a quick snapshot of social reach. I was using data visualization tools [after the event] to be able to summarize quickly, clearly and efficiently both the real-time fall- out from the news that we were seeing, and really just being hands-on with respect to getting our statements pulled together. I’ve got a culture at the very top that is really driving for a more insights-driven approach to communications, and I’m now in the process of flowing that down through a business culture that has been traditionally very risk-averse.
Villages of Technology
I’m encouraging people to take smart risks, not fear failure and push boundaries, try new things. I’ve also found little villages of technology have popped up in lots of different parts of [our business]. Lots of people are buying different tools, and sometimes people in different parts of the company don’t know what tools the other parts of the company have bought.
So we’re in the process of trying to streamline that into a common platform that can serve the entire enterprise so I can work off of one big dashboard that’s centralized and I know is giving me the best inputs from all the different parts of the company.
Drake: Actually, we have a common set of tools. We have a social center of expertise that handles KPIs, strategy and education, and that group handles tools for the global company. You’re right, our C-Suite wants a report and an alert, it doesn’t necessarily want access to the tools. I think over time that might be changing with different levels of executives, but generally speaking, they’re very busy and they just need to know what they need to know and when they need to know it.
You seem to be moving toward an insights-driven culture at your companies. What lessons can you share about the fundamental aspects of what makes it work?
Drake: I don’t think we have [a culture that’s data-driven] yet. I think we’re a work-in-progress. We have it in pockets. One of the things I did during the first seven months [in my role] was an audit of all the reporting that we did and the time that it took to do the reporting.
And I’m now going, by function, through this and asking: What actions are you taking from these reports? And if you’re not taking action, we’re going to stop doing this sort of measuring and we’re going to start measuring other things that are more meaningful. I think we have [data insight in spots], but I think we fall into the [problem of] how are we using [data], are we measuring the right things and how do we drive to something that’s more strategic?
Musser:And you need to establish a common set of how you measure—what are the set of metrics that work for you? My perspective is similar. I think we have some pockets of excellence.
So what I’m doing is auditing the different needs, trying to establish an agreed-upon set of enterprise approachesto how we measure value so that we don’t have a lot of wasted energy.
I’ve noticed a ton of wasted energy going to making things or trying to do things that check a box but don’t actually move the needle. In terms of a lot of our internal communications, I feel oftentimes like we’re shouting into the wind, and the penetration that you’re trying to get using legacy systems that probably aren’t representative of the best in class isn’t working.
My advice would be that you really need to try to have executive-level buy-in; repetition; and build strategic alliances within large corporations that are metrics-based around a common set of metrics; and you’ve just got to work at it. You’ve got to work at building a culture that respects an approach to data and fact gathering that helps inform and make decisions that lead ultimately to wins. Ideally, you can find a way to inject yourself into key campaign wins and be at the table. Make sure that communications has a role at the table as a strategy partner as opposed to an order-taker.
Measuring Success
What is your metric of success outside of a campaign, and how did you come to that?
Drake:For General Motors, it depends on where you sit in the function. For the GM Corporate Brand, brand reputation is a huge part of our success, and we look at that within four core audiences. Success at Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac—yes, brand reputation is a part of that, but ultimately, we have to sell cars and trucks. We have to be seen as a technology leader. So [brand reputation] isn’t the way we measure success.
We’re in the process of matching our earned data with sales data, which is everyone’s unicorn. I’m hoping in a year I will have cracked that—we’re making progress. It’s a journey. And we’re a big function, so trying to say, ‘OK, this is what it means for GM corporate’ vs. ‘This is what it means at Cadillac,’ is different and we have to work through those.
How do you measure thought leadership?
Drake:We do a lot of brand research, where we go out and see what people believe. Do they believe we’re heading in the right direction? Do they believe we’re a workplace of choice? Do they understand the messaging we’re delivering?
The other way we do it is through key message delivery. Your C-Suite wants to be thought leaders—these are the publications you believe you need to be in to hit your target audience with our four key messages. So we’ll measure—did we deliver on those publications and did we hit our four key messages? And then we’ll go back to the brand research and say, is it moving the needle in the public’s perception of us? That’s a very simple way to break it down. And you don’t need to have four key messages or use traditional brand research; you can do lots of different things [specific to your brand] that are very simple.
Musser: And you need to build a strategic plan. So if your executive is saying, ‘I want to be thought leader,’ great! But lay out a calendar, a strategic framework and a plan that’s outcome-based. Let’s start with the outcome and where we want to be positioned relative to our industry, and then let’s work backward over a period of time and build out a plan. And then hold them accountable to the plan.
‘We’ve got a plan for you, it goes over six-to-nine months. We’re going to try to be visible in these industry forums, we’re going to use this paid strategy, this social strategy, this earned strategy. And, most important, we’re going to be quick and nimble, and try to take advantage of opportunities in the news cycle that put a premium on speed and authenticity.’ So moving fast to be able to insert yourself into a narrative that’s moving quickly is critical.
Internal Communications Advice
What advice do you have for being able to communicate internally with a very large organization?
Musser:Look at new technology platforms that are replacing traditional intranets. I’m looking at Facebook Workplace right now. We’re still checking it, and in the interest of full disclosure haven’t made a decision on it. But everybody knows how to use Facebook, so there’s no training needed. And [it’s different than] creating content that you’re sending out on an internal email basis that may or may not be opened. With respect to email, employ rigorous segmentation analysis, making sure that you’re sending relevant content to relevant stakeholders. The bigger the company, the more important it is to do this.
But also look at the internal platforms and collaboration tools in the market that are available and can work at scale. The last piece would be to reach people where they are, and make sure you’re investing in tools that allow people to be reached quickly on mobile through text or on social.
Drake: We went through a pilot with a similar set of tools, as well as running focus groups for internal communications to understand how people want to receive communications. Are they pulling, are they pushing? When is email the appropriate way to communicate versus posting on our intranet? We’re using [Microsoft] Teams more, and Skype Collaboration. We’re in the process of making that shift. We also worked with the IT department, which traditionally has not done the best training when we roll out tools. So we’ve worked very closely with IT to have what we call Work Smarter sessions, so people aren’t just getting dumped into the tool. Make sure you’re looking and listening to what your employees are saying and not just dumping a bunch of tools on them.
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