If practitioners had a crystal ball to understand how successful
a public relations program would be, what would that be worth to
the practitioner? Well, send your check my way as a new term and a
new methodology is going to change the way public relations
strategy is developed.
For the first time I can say that I can predict the success of
programs. I can, with relative certainly, predict how a given
advertisement, promotion, idea or communication is going to impact
my organization and how it will be perceived among the target
audience. What is this magic bullet? The eFactorTM.
The eFactor at its core is a simple concept. It is the emotional
bond combined with the brand equity (emotion and equity) of a given
product or organization. Working in concert with a worldwide market
research organization, we developed the eFactor, and when applied
to public relations, practitioners will find they have better and
more effective plans and a better relationship with their
clients.
So, beginning from the top, decide what the desired outcome is.
You first need to benchmark your starting point and establish your
KPIs (key performance indicators). Only when you know what you are
measuring and what change you are trying to affect can you even
begin to implement a true PR program.
Good KPIs would include, for example, sales,
understanding/cognizance, new leads, or new product trials. Once
these have been established, professionals may then refer back to
the desired outcome and begin planning accordingly. This is where
the eFactor comes in. Make a list of the attributes of the
organization based on the initial research and the desired
attributes regardless of the ultimate outcome.
Whatever adjectives you are currently known for that do not fit
the "wish list," you must plan and strategize accordingly to
achieve the desired outcome. The eFactor is in play in all
communications efforts because each -- no matter how insignificant
or magnificent each may appear -- collectively plays a role in the
brand equity. From a simple press release to a worldwide SMT, "how"
you say what you say is a reflection of the eFactor.
For example, after having done your due diligence, you find that
your brand is perceived to be slow and unresponsive. In a strategic
effort to remedy that perception you have programmed accordingly
e.g. a NASCAR sponsorship, case studies touting speed and
responsiveness or a b-to-b junket to showcase efficiencies. Now,
before you considered the above tactics, you took into account the
eFactor of the brand - the brand equity. Does it make sense to
sponsor a NASCAR team? Does the phrasing in the case studies fit
the brand? Does a b-to-b junket fulfill the overall equity built
within a given entity? Once you have a clear understanding of what
the brand "is," it becomes quite clear what tactics can be used to
stay consistent in building the brand, while also fulfilling the
desired outcome.
Which is exactly why so many spin-offs and promotions fail.
Consumers, b-to-b or b-to-c, simply don't understand how the
promotion (or advertisement or initiative) fits into a given
entity. It may secure short-term success, but sacrifice long-term
gains.
Along with understanding the brand equity is understanding the
emotional bond with the brand. It is critical to outline exactly
why a given target should find interest in the entity and want to
affect change to the desired outcome. What five to 10 things do the
targets benefit from by an exchange with a given product or
organization(s)? The key here is to not confuse benefits with
features.
Once the benefits have been established, create an emotional
bond model. If the benefit is that it "makes my life easier,"
showcase that in the programs that create that emotional bond to
that specific benefit. It becomes part and parcel of the
communications strategy. Programs and all communications thereafter
should be developed accordingly. How does using a given product
make the target "feel?" That is the key of developing a strong
emotional bond, and every communication that flows from that entity
should reinforce this bond.
Critical now to the eFactor is combining the two - emotion and
equity. Consider: The brand Jewel, the singer. What is her
emotional connection with her audience and what is the desired
outcome. The outcome is relatively simple: airplay, album sales and
sold out concerts. So, how do you program taking into account the
eFactor to accomplish the desired outcome? The "controllers" behind
the Jewel brand decided to reinvent their star with the "Intuition"
single, which although creating an initial spike and sales,
actually disillusioned the emotional connection.
The brand that Jewel created previously was in stark contrast to
the new invention. Entertainers are in a precarious state because
the need to "reinvent" is a lurking messiah, but when the eFactor
fails to be considered, you've simply set yourself up for another
standard reinvention - the comeback. Don't do that to your brand,
because it sacrifices long term gains for short-term results.
Boss breathing down your neck to move forward on a given
program? Be armed with this information and be able to take a
strategic stand based on proven methodologies to save everyone from
their own Peter Principle. Contact a global market research firm or
agency that can provide eFactor insight if you don't feel
comfortable attempting the above exercise, from promotions to
concepts to even advertisements. It's a standard up-front
investment in success, where ideas can actually be made better, and
everyone benefits. The cost is typically nominal compared to an
overall campaign and certainly peanuts compared to a failed one.
Success is predictable - you just need the right tools.
By Rodger Roeser, APR, vice president of Justice & Young, a
full service integrated marketing agency headquartered in
Cincinnati, Ohio. He can be reached at 513.388.4706; [email protected]