For Measurement Month last November, we asked measurement guru Katie Paine what she’d recommend to a communicator who wanted to begin a measurement program (PRN, Nov. 2018).
Her first piece of advice was to buy Starbucks, cookies and alcohol for senior managers. “Whatever it takes” to get time with senior leaders. “You’ll need to get clarity up front about what leadership’s goals and objectives are for communications.”
Starbucks as a Data Tactic
Senior Director, Reputation Research & Strategy
APCO Worldwide
Next, you buy Starbucks and other goodies for the people who manage Google Analytics, web analytics, CRM, finance and accounting. “You’ll need these people to talk to you and give you the information you require.”
With the goals and objectives of the C-suite and knowledge of where company data resides, the communicator then should survey its target audience, Paine advised. “It won’t cost much.” Find out what’s keeping those individuals up at night. “Then find out what’s keeping your sales and marketing people up at night. What’s keeping the CEO up at night.”
Then, start thinking about measurement as a way to solve those problems, Paine says. “If you’ve done research up front to learn about what the problems are, your solutions are much more likely to work.”
For example, Paine cited a company she advised “absolutely knew” it was well regarded for its customer service. Another was totally convinced its products were thought of as industry leaders. Paine was able to convince those companies to conduct surveys. After its survey, company one was surprised the public didn’t regard its customer service well at all. The second company found its products were seen as fourth best, not number one.
The takeaway: test assumptions. “The most powerful words in a communicator’s arsenal,” she says, “when asked to do something are: ‘Are you sure you don’t want to test those assumptions?’”
We were reminded of Paine’s admonition when another Katie, APCO Worldwide’s senior director, reputation research & strategy, Katie Sprehe, told us about data she’d just generated with a survey of 1,000 American adults June 11-12. The survey’s goal was to test assumptions about big tech’s reputation. Its findings are shared here exclusively with PRNEWS.
“Everyone knows the headlines. The news coverage about big tech is negative, negative negative,” Sprehe says. Based on numerous media reports detailing tech companies’ data breaches, the spread of misinformation via social and what seem to be the industry’s unscrupulous use of customer data, you’d assume the public has low regard for and low trust in tech companies.
The first question (chart 1) was, “How concerned, if at all, are you about the influence of technology companies on people’s day-to-day lives?”
A healthy majority (62 percent) are somewhat or very concerned about this, which seems natural given the negative media.
Responses to the second question in chart 2, though, were surprising. Slightly more than half those surveyed (55 percent) are very or somewhat confident that tech companies will protect users’ data privacy. And 53 percent are very or somewhat confident that tech firms will work to stop the spread of misinformation. Similarly, 52 percent are very or somewhat confident that tech will be transparent about how customer data is used.
Responses to the first two questions on chart 3 indicate nearly half of those surveyed don’t have an inherent bias against big tech.
Tech at a Crossroads
The data indicates tech companies are at a “crossroads,” Sprehe says. “All is not lost.” Their reputation is not nearly as bad as one might think, but “they must be concerned.” Whatever tech companies do to bolster their reputations, she says, needs to be genuine, “not window dressing.” Sprehe adds, “there’s an opportunity here” and the first companies to take action will have an advantage.
The takeaway for communicators across all industries underscores Paine’s “test assumptions” mantra. “Do your homework” and measure your target audience before acting on what you think is the state of mind. “You really need to know your audience and keep constant track” of what it’s thinking, Sprehe says. The prevalence of bots spreading fake information makes regular audience measurement even more important, she adds.
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