The Barcelona Principles, which were adopted in 2010 by several PR industry groups, are comprised of seven precepts that serve as the foundation of how the industry should measure communications. The Principles have for the first time created alignment across the communications profession of what’s good and what’s bad in PR measurement, and the steps PR players need to take to enhance their ROI.
In recent weeks I’ve seen some encouraging signs that the Principles are being adopted in greater numbers. First, I had the chance to be a judge for Public Relations Society of America’s Silver Anvil awards, and was glad to see that not a single entry I reviewed included the dreaded practice of equating the value of earned media with the cost of advertising (AVEs).
And while guest lecturing in a graduate communications course at NYU I asked the students how many had ever heard of the Principles; more than half the students raised their hands.
Another example: PR News ’ April 1 edition featured a CARMA / PR News survey showing how progress is being made in the adoption and practice of the Principles.
But are these and other signs of progress enough? While things are moving in the right direction, there’s ample room for improvement. For example, one out of four respondents said they are using AVEs, according to the survey, but only 40% of respondents said they include the four key components of a measureable goal for their PR or social media campaign. If you can’t write good goals, you can’t develop a measurement program to see if you can reach those goals.
FOUR PRINCIPLES
What would sufficient progress in adopting the Barcelona Principles look like? There are four critical components:
1. Every PR program would have goals that specify who you are trying to reach, what about them you are trying to change, how much will be achieved and when this will happen.
2. Media measurement would always answer the question: Did we reach the people we were trying to reach with the messages we were trying to deliver?
3. PR practitioners would use surveys, including their company’s own brand or advertising trackers, to determine if the people they were trying to reach changed by becoming more aware, understood something better, adopted a different perception of the product and/or service, purchased what the program was selling, and/or recommended the company to someone else.
4. There would be broad acknowledgement that the “search for the Holy Grail” of the ROI of public relations is over. There are two realistic statistical approaches to getting to an ROI: discrete choice modeling using surveys and market mix modeling using time series data across markets.
DRIVING MOMENTUM
So, what happens next? It’s good to see so many measurement conferences taking place. AMEC and the PRSA, for instance, will hold a Measurement Symposium at PRSA’s annual conference in Philadelphia, which is expected to draw 3,000 PR and communications professionals.
And three years after the Barcelona AMEC Summit the gathering returns to Spain (Madrid), scheduled for June 5-7. It’s at this (annual) event that much of the new thinking around PR measurement emerges.
This year, there will be 45 measurement experts and company leaders speaking from around the world, including executives from CARE International, Cleveland Clinic, IKEA, Philips and Nissan, as well as senior-level executives from the top global PR firms.
This year’s Summit will feature:
• A plenary debate on how to use measurement and analytics to unlock business performance.
• Launch of a global education program that designed to boost the adoption rate of the Barcelona Principles.
• A keynote from Ketchum CEO Rob Flaherty who is expected to set out a roadmap on the future of PR and detail the fundamental role that research and analytics has to play in PR.
So, are we making progress? Yes. Will the Madrid Summit and similar conferences keep the momentum going? Yes. But I will not be 100% satisfied until all of the students in a PR graduate course raise their hands when asked that they know the Barcelona Principles and how to apply them to the real world. PRN
CONTACT:
David Rockland is partner and managing director of Ketchum and CEO of Ketchum Change. He can be reached at [email protected].
