Research designed to prove PR's value is most relevant when it can be correlated with a corporation's overall business objectives, according to Donna Coletti, worldwide media
relations director for Texas Instruments. "Awareness is not allowed as a goal," she told attendees at the Institute for PR's April 3 symposium, "Putting the Yardstick to PR"
(PRN, April 10). Corporate boards measure success in terms such as:
- Revenue
- Gross profit margin
- Operating margin
- Sales increases
- Market growth
- Market leadership
- Market share
- New product/services and their quality, feature or technology leadership
- Number of customers
- Number of new customers
- Quality of customers
- Customer consideration and preference for a company's products and services
- Market cap
- Stock price
- Recruitment and retention of top employees
A PR team that can benchmark its success in one or more of the above-mentioned terms proves its value. But PR measurement can be complicated, given stakeholder groups have
varying agendas, and are influenced differently, Coletti said. For example, employees care most about pay, benefits and professional growth opportunities, while customers care
about cost, convenience and how the company's product will make their lives easier. Coletti illustrated how PR measurement benchmarks might be tailored for different
audiences.
|
Audience
|
Care Abouts
|
Desired Action
|
Strategy
|
Messages
|
Comm. Strategy
|
Metric
|
| Press | News | * Write articles with company's key messages * Consider company as source of knowledge * Position company positively |
* Win Customers | * Products that customers want or need | * Proactive pitching * Editorial boards * Keynotes/ speaking engagements * Opinion articles |
* More articles than any competitor * A key message in every article * Inclusion in competitor's article |
| Financial Analysis | * Company performance * Strength of management team * Market leader |
* Recommend stock * Write positive reports |
* Consistently good and improving financial performance |
* Winning in key markets * Company's performance exceeds industry leaders |
* Focused conference activity * I/R Web site |
* Increase in market cap |
| Customers | * Quality products/services, * Lower cost * Trustworthy company *Satisfies need *Lets you do some thing you couldn't do before |
* Specify, recommend, or buy company's products | * Increase customer base * Be market leader * Provide products/services that are differentiable from competitors |
* Best products * Easy to do business with * Only product which gives you...xx. |
Drive consideration preference by providing products and infrastructure that customers need * Use broad and targeted communication mediums to reach target customer base * Develop Internet site and functions so Internet can be a business tool. |
* Number of qualified leads * Percentage increase in consideration |