Metrica Numbers is the PR industry’s only regular, independent benchmarking report. By isolating media analysis data from 2008, and also providing an evaluation of trends over the last ten years, the report informs the industry about general trends and provides top-line planning support. In particular it can help organisations and PR agencies to formulate meaningful performance targets which take into account changing sector and environmental factors.

Here are some excerpts from the executive summary:

There have been two major environmental factors to take into account writing this year’s report – the economy and social media. That there has been major economical change in the last 12 months is a fact which cannot be overlooked when assessing PR performance over 2008. More positively, 2008 has also been the year in which we have seen social media begin to become more established as an accountable PR channel. 

• These two factors considered, comparing the benchmarking data for 2008 against that from 2007 reveals some interesting trends. Perhaps most significantly to those organisations which are still forced to use it, particularly for performance targets, the average monthly AVE is down from £3.7 to £2.2 million. See ‘Trend Spotting 2008’ for further details.
• Of more than three million press articles analysed over the last decade, the vast majority are positive and that trend continues. 
• This empirical evidence continues to fly in the face of general anecdotal feeling that the media tends to promote more ‘sensationalist’ coverage which by its nature is more likely to be negative.
• Broadcast coverage has been declining over the last two years while business press has shown consistent and strong growth over the past ten.
• 2008 saw the proportion of online coverage more than double, from 11% in 2007 25%. Many may jump to the conclusion that this increase has been driven by social media which is true, but only in part. While social media has indeed become firmly planted on the media landscape over the last 12 months it accounted for just three percent of analysed media coverage (figure 1a and 1b).
• However, that is not to say social media is not making an impact. It is Metrica’s experience and opinion that this low proportion of social media within online as a media type actually reflects the issues and debate regarding monitoring social media. That in turn is inhibiting the inclusion of social media in media evaluation and PR measurement programmes. For more about this please see ‘Trend Spotting 2008’. 

Key trends this year are:

Regional for the people: Despite its continuing downwards trend, regional media was the strongest channel for six out of 11 sectors reaffirming its continued role on the media landscape.  

Digital migration: There’s no doubting that the data from 2008 provides a notable marker in media history – that being the biggest surge yet in the growth of online media. The main generator of coverage for three sectors, the channel to which recession hit titles are turning and no doubt to be supported further in next year’s report, digital media is the one to watch in 2009 

Haste and paste: Continuing evidence of high message delivery and spokespeople mentions suggests the continuation of a copy and paste publishing trend in online media. In addition, the figures suggest this is now also becoming more established in the increasingly resource stretched regionals.  

AVE deficit: As advertising budgets have declined over the course of 2008 so advertising rates have fallen and the value of adverts declined in turn. For the many organisations still forced to use AVEs as a measure of their PR success this means it has been a very bad year as the targets they were set become unobtainable. On the plus side it has provided the perfect case in point for why the PR industry should not employ AVEs to measure its performance.  

Credit crunch: Despite fears over the economy in the latter half of 2007, favourability bucked a ten year tend and improved compared to 2006. In 2008 though the decline in favourability is back with the last quarter of the year, unsurprisingly, the worst performing.  

National trust: Reassurance as to the integrity of national newspapers may once again be taken from figures suggesting their editorial is least malleable by PRs. They are more likely than ever to feature unfavourable coverage and most unlikely to deliver key messages or quote spokespeople. 

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