With so much talk about measurement -- and very little
accomplished in terms of developing uniform standards for the
entire industry to adopt -- the debate reminds one of Mark Twain's
quip about the weather: "A great, great deal has been said about
the weather but very little has ever been done."
Measurement is the industry's new paradigm. Long gone are the
days when clips and column inches were considered the
end-all-to-be-all for corporate communications executives and PR
pros to show their worth. To be sure, the forward-thinking PR
executives are adopting measurement tools created by IABC, PRSA,
the Council of PR Firms and a bevy of service providers to show
senior management concrete returns on their communication efforts.
But measurement standards that the entire industry can agree on
will be difficult to attain.
A recent survey conducted by the IABC and Towers Perrin sheds
some light on the debate about measurement. The conclusion: Most PR
executives are still in the dark about measurement. The survey,
"Future Trends," which polled more than 1,000 IABC members
worldwide with an average of 16 years' experience, found that most
companies and organizations measure their internal and external
communications infrequently if at all, and that longer-term
strategic planning and measurement are taking a back seat to more
urgent business needs during the current economic malaise.
"People consider measurement a priority but they're not doing
it," says Katherine Woodall, a principal with Towers Perrin and a
member of IABC. "They know they should be doing it but are
caught-up in the economy."
More than half of the study's respondents indicated that
improving operating performance within their organizations was
their top priority. Another 36% said cost reduction was among their
top three issues and 32% said adapting to industry change was their
top priority.
Communicators also indicated that they're focusing their time
and attention on communicating; building the company's image and
training employees to improve customer service and restructuring
organizations to fit new business goals. But as Natasha Spring,
executive director of IABC, puts it, measurement should be woven
into the entire corporate fabric. "There's a connection between ROI
(return on investment) and communications," she says, "but there
hasn't been the follow through, and I'm not sure communication
professionals make the connection between ROI and their own
programs."
The survey included a bevy of recommendations on how PR pros can
improve the conversation about measurement:
- Demonstrate the value communication adds to the
organization. - Almost one-third of respondents had gone through downsizing and
experienced reduced budgets for their communication function. - 47% listed demonstrating the impact of the communication as a
top priority for the next 18 months but... - Few measure results formally - and when they do, measures
rarely focus on behavioral change: 57% always or often use informal
feedback while 54% said changes in behavior were a key indicator of
the communication function's performance, yet only 17% use pre- and
post-behavior assessments always or often (See table).
Another main ingredient for improved measurement is taking
better advantage of the Web. But many communications take a dim
view of online efforts. According to the survey, only 33% of PR
executives have increased their company's use of electronic media
and 26% reference the use of intranets and home pages to share
important information. Just 8% post information immediately on
their Web sites. To enhance communication efforts the study said
companies should continue using existing media to support their
organization's goals and, in some cases, consider increasing the
use of face-to-face meetings or virtual meetings.
Do PR Execs Want to Measure?
Industry executives are divided on whether the industry is
taking measurement seriously.
"The biggest myth in PR is that it cannot be measured and that
myth is perpetuated by PR people because too many of them have a
vested interest in not being measured," says Mark Weiner, CEO of
Delahaye Medialink Worldwide, which provides media analysis to the
PR industry. "Forward-looking PR people are adopting measurement
standards. But for the most part, measurement is being driven by
internal clients -- not the agencies and not corporate
communications executives."
Peter Granate, senior VP of MediaMap, which also provides
communication management to the PR field, disagrees. "The smart
ones aren't perpetuating the myth," he says. "PR pros are getting
into the inner sanctum and they know they need to deliver some type
of baseline and/or metric to measure against the company's annual
goals."
Edward Gala, director, worldwide strategic public relations for
Xerox Corp., said measurement is not optional, but a critical
component of PR and marketing strategies. "In some ways, every
organization has to adopt [measurement tools] appropriate to their
needs," he says. "At the same time, it would be useful to have some
guiding principles to help with the development of these tools.
But, even with standards you'll never subtract the subjectivity out
of measurement."
Contacts: [email protected],
415.836.1289; [email protected],
312.609.9408
Editors Note: We hope you'll make time for our measurement
Webinar tomorrow, April 8 (1:30-3p.m.). "PR Accountability:
Measurement Strategies That Work" features Katie Paine (KD Paine
& Partners) and Ward White (Northwestern Mutual). Register at
http://www.PRandMarketing.com
or call 1-800-775-7654.