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[Editor’s Note: PR News Advisory Board member Deborah Radman reports on the key takeaways from the Nov. 2011 IABC/PRIME Strategic Communications & Measurement Conference, held in New York City.]
While attracting some of the smartest people in the corporate communications industry to offer measurement insights, the IABC/PRIME Conference opened new horizons for many others who traveled from all over the globe to attend. This conference was not just about the sessions; it was about the networking and debate that took place as much outside of the sessions as it did during them.
The conference kicked off on Nov. 3, with learning opportunities dedicated to topics such as business outcomes, dashboards and key performance indicators (KPIs), market mix modeling, media analysis and metrics, reputation management, search analytics, social media return on investment (ROI), shareholder metrics and PR ethics and reputation management research.
CHALLENGES ABOUND
The conference takeaways were significant in that they demonstrate that corporate communicators today are facing multiple challenges in measurement and proving the value of PR spending. Yet, the international experts who shared their insight and vision during the two-day conference showed that research, measurement and evaluation are within the reach and budget of everyone in the business today. With the tools, evolving standards and best practices in place, even practitioners with no budget at all can establish inexpensive measurement systems.
The program featured a variety of sessions and speakers including corporate communicators, agency executives and measurement gurus speaking on topics including social media, crisis communications, corporate reputation and brand performance. There was no shortage of opinions and no easy solutions. A variety of approaches were discussed, debated and demonstrated, centering on three themes: strategy, social media and continuous process improvement.
Several speakers, including Julie Hamp from PepsiCo, Michael Bauman from Bentley and Kevin Bishop from IBM urged conference delegates to get started with research-based measurement, and keep doing it. Building trust and momentum within an organization in the value of PR requires data, analysis and actionable recommendations. Communication and reputation are inextricably entwined. Reputation depends on good, strategic communications and good communication requires continual fine-tuning based on reliable information. Solid principles of public relations research and measurement are integral to an organization’s ability to understand and maintain reputation integrity.
JUST PROVE IT
While the larger debate continues to swirl, certain fundamental truths stand. Drs. Jim and Larissa Grunig from the University of Maryland, and Dr. Shannon Bowen from Syracuse University, agreed that whether you are a sole practitioner or the EVP of a Fortune 100 PR department, you may find yourself at the center of the “prove-it” debate.
Conference speakers emphasized several ways prove value and improve performance:
1. Evaluation begins with objectives that are reasonable, meaningful and measurable.
2. Value grows by aligning your PR goals with the organization’s.
3. Knowledge increases by measuring continuously and consistently.
4. Future plans develop as past performance is evaluated.
5. Appetites expand among senior executives when measurement (and reporting) occurs whether they require it or not.
6. Acceptance expands in a “learning-from-measurement” culture and is stunted in a “punish-by-measurement” culture.
7. Partial illumination compares favorably over total darkness and sets the stage for proving value.
Attendees and experts concluded that measurement should be able to tell whether the organization’s investment in PR was spent wisely and to positive effect.
The challenge of PR measurement is certain to continue, and only time will tell which measurement approach works best for an organization. Success may build slowly—but it is contingent upon intelligence, initiative and perseverance.
The results of the measurement process help tailor programs for maximum effectiveness and efficiency, gradually increasing the yield of an organization’s investment in public relations.
CONTACT:
Deborah Radman is marketing and PR counsel at PRIME Research. She can be reached at [email protected].