PR measurement: Separating myth from reality

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – In every myth there is a corresponding reality. So it is in measuring PR results. The biggest myth in the practice is that it can’t be measured, but the best reality is posing the question "Says who?" This is the main thesis of Wilma Matthews, an International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Fellow and Director of PR, Arizona State University in her talk at the IABC Malaysia National Conference on "Best Practices for Effective Business Communications" held recently at Hotel Nikko Kuala Lumpur.

We can measure most, if not all PR programs – from effectiveness of internal communications to relationship with various stakeholders like media, communities, government officials, church authorities, and educational institutions, to behavior changes of target publics, to product sales and overall reputation. How reporters and editors accommodate our pitches, how people react to our operation within a community, or how we alter beliefs, induce action and correct wrong perceptions are all measurable.

Matthews averts, "We don’t measure PR activities, we measure outcome, and how it supports the company’s vision, business objectives, priorities, culture, market environment, stakeholders, employees, and public affairs agenda." PR measurement begins with measurable objectives. What is it we want to do? What is it we want to happen? At the onset, we must be very clear with our desired communications and behavioral responses. Key here is the identification of the publics among whom the behavioral outcome is to be recognized. It is important that we specify the expected level of attainment or accomplishment as we identify the time frame in which they are to occur.

We can’t measure what we can’t manage. We can’t manage what we can’t measure. And as Jim MacNamara enthuses, "Communications is not what we send out, but what arrives." We may have identified key message tracks for our campaign, but they remain to be useless unless we are able to put them across to our target audiences efficiently and effectively.

More Than Media Impressions

Matthews, author of several books on media relations, reveals several types of PR measures. These cover our inputs or the resources needed to provide particular products or services, and our outputs or the products and services that we provided. It can also be a measurement of the outcome and efficiency of our PR efforts, concretely manifested by opinion, attitude and behavioral changes we have achieved based on PR goals, and the effective use of resources – our own organizational systems, staffing or talent use and the like. Quantity or volume output, as well as quality or dependability of our PR services and products as defined by our customers are measurable aspects as well.

Matthews debunks the traditional notion that media impressions – circulation, rating or number of viewing audience and website hits – are the be-all of PR measurement. She insists they are non-measures. Impressions don’t necessarily tell the story of what happened to our PR intent. She admonishes, "Don’t confuse measuring activity with measuring progress and success."

It is therefore not enough to measure PR efforts based on advertising value equivalent, as we normally do. Calculating the cost of editorial time and space, as though they were advertising time and space, is not enough to determine success or failure. It is impossible to compare the two. We control everything about advertisements and nothing about editorial placements.

Delahaye’s The Measurement Standard captures the principle very clearly when it says, "We know a case in which someone was measuring advertising value equivalency, yet the mission of the PR department was to increase trust and credibility. Another was measuring media, when the expectations was that PR would increase sales."

Communications Valuation

Media Relations evaluation is as important as bottom-line measures. It must help improve the company’s PR implementations and monitor crafted messages and key points. In the measurement process, we should ask these mandatory questions: Are the resulting stories based on our publicity releases, positive or negative? Was our message in the published reports delivered? Did the media use the submitted photo or video clip? Was the story accurate? Did we reach the right publics based on the media pick-ups? Was the story balance? Were the contact numbers and addresses listed? Did our competitor generate more coverage? Was the chairman or CEO of the company quoted, and if so, was the quote accurate? Did the story appear in the appropriate print section or portion of the news program?

After we have answered this long list of queries, what do we do with the measurement results? First, kill a bad or non-working program, and save the one that works. This way we can use our PR budget more wisely. Second, leverage the results – on return on investment and opportunity for continuous improvement in systems and procedures, on set benchmarks, targets and priorities and defined strategies and executions. Measurement is how management realizes the value communications makes to the company. Thus, it should be relevant and meaningful to the organization, demonstrated by the level of employee and stockholder satisfaction, customer retention and revenue growth.

Management needs to see the connection between communications and achieving corporate goals. PR communication must help them see it. Armed with vision and brainpower, we can add value beyond the communications program and its implementation.

The IABC Malaysia led by its president Ghazalie Abdullah immersed local and Asia-Pacific attendees in a world of fresh insights, new perspectives and the latest technologies in business communications. Twelve international speakers including this columnist and three Malaysian speakers of excellent repute demonstrated and shared expertise in areas like advocacy, PR measurement, branding, employee communication, crisis response planning, communications leadership and corporate social responsibility. As conference chair Nur Amiela Mira AB.Karim says, "The conference is reflective of the growing challenges facing every communicator in today’s global business environment."

Business communicators spend too much time putting out fires and too little time for effective planning and execution. We must make processes, programs and implementations work as we undertake and solve complex communications issues that come our way. And the way to do it is to constantly pick up new learnings that can help us seize opportunities and face challenges with vigor, vibrancy and vitality.

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E-mail bongo@vasia.com or bongo@campaignsandgrey.net for comments, questions and suggestions.