I was delighted to see that the COI has recently announced the results of its initiative to standardise PR evaluation metrics.

Metrica worked closely with the COI on the plans and has long endorsed moving away from simple quantitative measures towards analysing the role that PR plays in a wider context.  For that reason it was pleasing to see four elements in particular…

Firstly, establishing the programme without the recommendation of Advertising Value Equivalence should be seen as a giant step forward. The COI report describes AVE as a flawed metric and states that it will not be including AVE in the core set of mandatory metrics.

In putting his hands up to occasionally having used AVE, Adrian Cadwallader, Deputy Head of Marketing at the Department for Children, Schools and Families highlights that he was troubled by the appropriateness of using one marketing technique to evaluate another and embraces the new cost per impact (CPI) metric.

As a way of showing comparative value across communications disciplines this is a measure Metrica has been providing to clients for a long time.

It was also pleasing that Adrian pointed out the need to tailor the metrics according to the campaign. This supports the conclusion that the COI has drawn by not creating a proprietary “scoring system” or magic bullet approach. For as long as I’ve worked in the industry the goal of having one “score” to measure the effectiveness of PR has been discussed and the debate rages on. I don’t think “scores” will ever be the answer. I wont get into that now but we’ve blogged about it a few times – here for example.

Neil Martinson, Director News and PR at COI points out that establishing a consistent approach to the way metrics are calculated will make it easier to compare results across other marketing disciplines. The endorsement of cross discipline measurement was perhaps the most heartening conclusion of all. Feeding into holistic evaluation programmes and econometric models will ultimately raise the bar for everyone. 

Metrica has a history of integrating it’s analysis into econometric models; as  Carolan Davidge, of Cancer Research UK points out when discussing the work Metrica did for the Race for Life campaign, it’s perfect for demonstrating outcomes and for supporting those who feel their PR budget is under threat.

Finally it was great to see that the analysis will focus on Reach to audience. Far too often we see competitors clients come to us frustrated by generic media evaluation that pays no heed to the one element that should be central to all campaigns – the audience. There’s no point pitching me your latest beefburger – I’m veggie – and all the messaging in the world won’t make me buy it. Understanding how well you are communicating with those that matter is central so hats off to the COI for documenting that too.

If you are looking at your evaluation programme and think the standardised metrics that the COI has rolled out might be right for you feel free to get in touch – we’re always happy to help.

In the mean time, I’m off for some Tofu and lentils… yum!

It’s that time of the year that we all look forward to.  Snow is falling and festivities flowing as we prepare to say goodbye to 2009.  It’s been quite a year.  Not least remembered for a heavy downward pressure on budgets; in turn fanning the flames of the eternal debate about how much should be spent on PR measurement.

Back in 1998, the CIPR, PRCA, Public Relations Standards Forum (PRSF) and AMEC put their heads together and produced best practice guidelines on the use of planning, research and evaluation within the industry.  The aim of the campaign, known as PR Week’s Proof campaign, was to encourage companies to allocate 10% of PR budget to measurement.  Over ten years on and, although the 10% figure is often cited, the reality is rather different.  Metrica Insights found that over half (52%) of respondents spend between 1-5% on measurement.  The respondents do, however, believe they should be spending more on evaluation: almost half the participants currently spending between 1-5% recognise that they should be spending between 6-10%.

So, herein lies the conundrum. When budgets are being squished and results are under close scrutiny does it pay to hold fast and continue dedicating 10% to measurement?  Here at Metrica (heavily vested interest aside!) we would argue that the answer is yes.  As long as it’s done properly.  There’s little point spending swathes of money on measurement if it doesn’t demonstrate PR’s contribution to the success of the business.  Counting clips and presenting AVEs won’t make the money spent worthwhile; generating ROI metrics that help prove and improve the effectiveness of PR will.  If you can use your measurement for well-informed planning, tweaking and improving then the budget really starts to sing hard for its supper. 

Interestingly, while more respondents’ 2009 PR budgets decreased (30%) than increased (20%), the majority (46%) stayed the same.  This was a very encouraging result during a global recession.  The widening remit of PR in the social media realm may well have had something to do with this.  Even more reassurance came as 28% of respondents were confident of an increase in overall PR budgets coming into 2010.  Is this result a reality?  Have your budgets been decided yet? And, most importantly, have you put aside a set amount for measurement? 

Next time we’re looking at opinions around ROI – the catch of the day, the phrase du jour, the Holy Grail. At long last there’s been increased demand for PR ROI.  How are our respondents satisfying this demand?  We’ll be back in the New Year to find out. Happy Christmas everyone!

The great and the good of the PR measurement industry gathered last night for the annual AMEC Awards, and it was a "scorcher" of an evening, as a tabloid-inspired Nick Grant put it. With winners from as far afield as Australia, Germany, Dubai and right here at Metrica towers, our industry seems in rude health. 

Trevor Morris, Visiting Professor of Public Relations at the University of Westminster and chair of AMEC's judging panel, noted the high quality of entries put before the judging panel. His opening remarks served as a great reminder of the attributes that make good PR measurement programmes great, and in turn provide maximum value to the clients we work with:

- Wrap every aspect of your measurement around your client's objectives. And don't stop at PR objectives either- clients need our help to show the contribution PR has made to the wider organisation, as well as keeping its own house in order. The language in which they communicate performance is also key.

- Think about what isn't published, as well as what is. In tricky times our clients spend a lot of time minimising the impact of negative coverage and / or killing the story before it draws breath. Consider negative message tracking (with upside down "maximum of" KPI's) and look for ways to correlate media relations activity with journalist output.

- Focus on the Outcome. Too many organisations stop their measurement at the output stage, when that's only half the story. Our clients conduct newshook research all the time - just one additional question could help them to demonstrate a change in behaviour/ attitude as a result of their PR activity. Find out how data is correlated on your client's organisational performance and aim to feed measurement data into it. 

 The number of companies winning awards last night (I lost count at ten - and I don't mean glasses of wine!) shows that we're getting the message as an industry, and our clients are getting greater insight from our measurement as a result.

One final thought from last night  - Geordie Greig, editor of the London Evening Standard, spoke of the reasons behind the decision to adopt a free distribution model, and insisted that, had the paper not gone free, it would not have been in circulation today. Greig also mentioned that certain UK national papers are losing in excess of £100,000 a day. With closure the only other apparent outcome, I'm fascinated by the concept that newspapers may have to become free outlets to survive, just as news outlets and the NLA begin to charge people for accessing online content.

The death of the newspaper has been announced time and time again, but perhaps we are approaching the point where the only "scorcher" left is print itself going up in flames.

After Metrica's exciting news last week regarding our acquisition by Durrants, it’s back to business as usual on the blog.  So, on with our introductory post from Metrica Insights...  

With solid PR objectives sorted, the next thing to think about is how they will be measured.  Do you need to do pre and post research?  Do you need to feed into a marketing mix model that the advertisers are running?  Do you need to measure your media output? A wise man once said, “not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.”  One of the biggest barriers to doing the right measurement is often cited as money.  Gravitating towards the quick ROI win helps.  Piggy back on the advertising department’s econometric model.  Add an evaluation question to your newshook research.

A worrying 12% of respondents don’t measure the results of PR.  It brings to mind a couple of business maxims that still ring true: what gets measured is what gets done; you can’t manage what you don’t measure.  Clichéd, yes, but oh so true.

So how are people using measurement? Overall, the trend shows the growing importance of media evaluation.  Which is great.   

What looks worrying however is the decreased use of PR measurement for planning since we last asked in 2006.  Only when measurement is used for tactical readjustments as well as strategic planning and refinement does it truly show its value.

For the first time we also asked if measurement is used to track and respond to social media.  68% said yes.  Now, I don’t know about you but I can only imagine this increasing overtime.  Tracking effectively is the first step.  Chris Brogan, an internet sensation known for his sagely advice says, “grow bigger ears”.  Listen first and listen hard (or get your media measurement agency to do it for you).  Then you can decide what action to take.

PR measurement can wear many hats.  It can be a benchmarking or campaign measurement tool, it can be used for audience targeting and media planning, it can justify additional PR budget and resources and it can be used for agency or staff performance.  Ideally measurement should serve all these purposes, and more; the list’s by no means exhaustive.  By increasing the uses you put your measurement to, you increase the value you get from it.

Before we say goodbye, here are some practical tips to take away right this minute:

• Check your objectives match those of the organisation, are measurable and have timeframes
• Ask around your organisation about existing marketing mix modelling / econometrics and market research.  If it's happening, get involved.
• Have a good think about how measurement is currently being used.  Have you got an actionable tool that helps you tweak tactics, set strategies and communicate your success to the business?  Or do you just flick through your lengthy report and contemplate its usefulness as a doorstop? Make your measurement work hard for its money.

Speaking of money, our next instalment is all about money.  Everybody loves a £ / $ / € sign.  We’ll be looking at how much people spend on measurement.  Is there a right amount?  How have other PRO’s budgets been affected this year?  What’s the outlook for 2010?  Until then…

Every two years, Metrica runs a survey of in-house PR practitioners.  The in-depth interviews give tremendous insight into the UK PR industry’s measurement, planning and research activity.  This research, stretching back to 1998, uniquely documents the changing attitudes towards PR measurement over the past ten years.  As the social transformation of media impacts on the way we all work, Metrica Insights 2009 shows the reality of measurement for PR practitioners today.

Every fortnight until the end of 2009, we’ll be releasing an insight from this study via MeasurementMatters.  We’re hoping these snippets will allow you to benchmark your activity against a representative sample of peers, learn from the intelligence Metrica wraps around the results and plan for the ROI-focused, social wonderland that will be 2010. Exciting times.

The first post covers the basics of planning, research and evaluation and will be posted next week.  Make sure you subscribe to take advantage of all the updates.