When it comes to press exposure, AT&T definitely feasts on a big piece of the media pie. And, like any conglomerate, it suffers from the occasional pie in the face. The telecom giant's sheer girth makes it hard to miss.
"We have a very large consumer base but we also have a very large business base," says John Heath, a media relations manager at AT&T's corporate headquarters in Basking Ridge, N.J. Translation: 3.2 million share owners and 80 million customers.
For competitive reasons, Heath won't share information about the size of AT&T's media relations army, but managers are strategically positioned around the globe, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris and Tokyo. Teams in each metro area are expected to be knowledgeable on a broad range of issues - from business concerns to environmental topics. National media relations are handled from the Basking Ridge headquarters.
No Sleeping Giant
In 1996, the media relations department at AT&T launched a new measurement initiative. Its goal: to build upon its reputation as a good, friendly and competent company, using journalists as a conduit for conveying positive messages to the public. In order for this to happen, AT&T's media relations employees would first need to know how effective they were in communicating with the media - considering journalists wielded the power to portray the corporate powerhouse in whatever light they chose.
As a first step, the company hired Delahaye Medialink to provide the detailed scoop on all of its major media coverage. Research was specifically calibrated to zero in on the hot and troubled spots. Meanwhile, clipping services such as Burrelle's, News Express and Luce supplemented the tracking effort. Next, AT&T commissioned Yankelovich Partners to conduct what has since become an annual survey of business journalists. The survey gauges journalists' perceptions of AT&T and its media relations staff. Findings also allow AT&T to benchmark its "scores" against those of its competitors each year (competitors' names are kept confidential, but AT&T can see where it ranks in comparison).
Turning its focus inward, AT&T also began surveying its investors to measure their attitudes about the company and its financial performance. Heath says this survey was helpful because it enabled the media relations team to extend its core message to an even broader target audience - one that includes not only consumers and business clients, but also internal company policy makers.
By measuring its reputation among various constituencies, AT&T was able to pinpoint areas for improvement in its media relations functions. Heath says that overall, the findings unearthed by Delahaye's tracking system were not surprising, although there were a few minor land mines. Some of the data revealed potential trouble spots that media relations staff were previously unaware of (of course, he wouldn't share the dirt). Suffice it to say the results reminded staff that they needed to anticipate and respond quickly to emerging telecommunications issues before competitors or others gained the upper hand with their messages.
Over time, AT&T's media measurement commitment has enabled its staff to exert greater influence on the media and hone their ability to smell a problem before it hits the presses. For example, last year a system glitch led to the malfunctioning of several banks' automated teller machines. (AT&T provides data communications services to companies that operate ATMs). AT&T's PR staff immediately held a press conference, apologizing for the event. During the conference, AT&T Chairman C. Michael Armstrong announced plans to make personal calls to the company's major business clients.
Measuring Media - Discoveries and Improvements
The media tracking ignited changes and improvements in AT&T's media relations department, according to Heath. New employees in the company's media relations department, especially those who are training to be managers, are sent to company headquarters for training on handling journalists and developing a rapport with them.
In training, basic principles like always telling the truth, responding quickly, respecting deadlines and providing access to the information they need in a timely fashion, are reinforced.
Heath communicates the latest news (and survey results) to media relations team members by email.
"We realize employees are very important," he says. "We want to make sure that they're informed about major announcements we're gonna communicate."
The next step, Heath says, was subscribing to another Yankelovich survey that tracked technology journalists, including beat reporters at major newspapers and magazines.
As long as the media relations teams at AT&T continue to remain on top of things, the program will continue to grow stronger and continue to get funding. "The benefits we offer to the corporation are constantly analyzed and scrutinized, but that's true in any business," Heath says.
The Next Challenge
Measuring interactive media is a perplexing new challenge for AT&T, Heath admits. Not only are there wire services and new magazines launching daily, but there are chat rooms.
"It's relatively easy to track well-known sites like CNET, but the problem is, when you get to the thousands of chat rooms, user groups that could be saying anything about your business, how do you sort out the thousands of mentions of your name?" Heath says. "How do you get the single and emerging issue that you should be attentive to?"
Heath says dealing with the Web is less clear cut than dealing with traditional media, and the next challenge AT&T's media relations department faces.
The need for measurement never stops.
(AT&T, 908/221-7580; Delahaye Medialink, 603/431-0111)