WOW! Measurement’s Day has Finally Come!

By Angie Jeffrey, APR

Guess what? Measurement and evaluation are on the rise with corporations increasing their budgets considerably over the past two years. Allocations for measurement and evaluation have risen to 9 percent of total PR/Communications program budgets, up from just 4 percent in 2009.  And this is happening even during today's economic troubles!

The news comes from USC Annenberg's recently released Seventh Communication and Public Relations Generally Accepted Practices (GAP) Study, which provides PR practitioners with data they can use to better manage their PR and communication efforts, and with information on key trends and best practices against which they can benchmark. The GAP VII Study is the largest and most comprehensive survey to date, with the participation of more than 600 senior-level PR/Communications practitioners in the U.S.  The study was led by Jerry Swerling and his team from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism; partners included The Arthur W. Page Society, the Institute for Public Relations, PRSA and IABC.

The study provides insights into a variety of topics in PR, but I will focus on just the Measurement and Evaluation results.  According to the study’s news release, how you measure really is linked to success. 

“Companies using outcomes measures, such as influence on stakeholder attitudes and opinions, the bottom line, etc., are much more likely to say they have a good external reputation and are successful than are companies that rely on traditional “PR output” measures, such as clips, impressions and advertising equivalency.”

(What the study didn’t ask was how many respondents use their output measures to LINK to outcomes like leads, sales, or survey scores through simple correlations.  Consider this a shameless plug for CARMA Connect, which does just that!) 

Anyway, the researchers say the pronounced rise in measurement budgets speaks to the improved ability to measure web content via social media monitoring tools, but also may indicate a more strategic view and use of public relations.  The latter is an encouraging thought.

The chart below shows the most common items being measured by corporations,  some of which may surprise you – like “Influence on Employee Attitudes” ranking #2.  (Ratings range from “1=Don’t Use” to “7=Use Significantly”).  More sophisticated measures really have gained in importance while the clip analysis is still a mainstay.

 

Of course, you will not be surprised to see that Metrics for Digital/Social have increased greatly in importance in the last two years, increasing from 3.1 in 2009 to 4.6 in 2011.  And, the use of Primary Research for Pre- and Post-campaigns also has made big strides. 

I hope you’ll take time to download the study, as it's rich in mission-critical information. Meanwhile, congratulations to my good friends from the IPR Commission on PR Measurement & Evaluation, Forrest W. Anderson and David Michaelson, Ph.D., who contributed to the study.  Great work, guys! 

Thanks to AMEC and IPR

By Sonia LaFountain, Chief Operating OfficerPhoto by djg0333

I recently had the opportunity to attend meetings in New York with the North American Chapter of the Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC) and the Institute or Public Relations Commission on Measurement and Evaluation (IPR).  Thank you to both organizations for inviting me to sit in and learn about all the exciting work that is being done to educate and disseminate media measurement and evaluation best practices. The focus of this work  is to define, and in some cases to standardize, best practices that will surely benefit professionals around the globe. It is important for measurement to be flexible enough that it works for each individual company or organization, but universal in method so that it can be replicated and understood by all.

AMEC is a member organization focused on providing a forum for the sharing of information, knowledge, and best practice in the areas of measurement and evaluation of communication globally. AMEC provides a number of key business benefits to its members, who are bound by a Code of Practice to maintain the highest standards of professionalism. Visit AMEC's website For more information on them or how you or your organization can qualify to join. 

The IPR Commission is made up of researcher-practitioners and thought-leaders in public relations research, measurement and evaluation.  This is a diverse group drawing from corporations, public relations agencies, research firms, and academia.  Their core mission is to develop and promote standards and best practices for research, measurement and analytics that contribute to ethical, strategic and effective public relations. You’ll find a wealth of free white papers and other information on the IPR Commission’s website.