Why measurement has more to with objectives than coverage reports
Why? It is probably the most frequently asked question in PR. Or if it’s not, it certainly should be. Why is this important? Why do we need to reach this audience? Why are we pushing this message now?
At the risk of starting to sound like an Annie Lennox song, for me personally, ‘why’ is typically at the heart of why I find a client’s business interesting. Why is communication important to them? Because whatever business objective they are hoping PR and communications will help them to achieve has to be the primary driver behind our work for them.
Sadly, ‘why’ is not always a question that PR professionals get honest answers to. And one of the areas where this is plainest to see is reporting. When reporting season rolls around and PR teams everywhere are compiling annual reports, you can be sure that many are yelling “why” as they bemoan the metrics they’ve been asked to report on. Some are even rolling their eyes at the fact that a client has once again asked them to include AVEs.
What is an AVE, you ask? Sigh. People like you give me hope!
I like the PRCA’s quote on AVEs in AMEC’s The Definitive Guide: Why AVES are invalid, which says that “AVEs measure absolutely nothing other than the vanity of those reporting them”. An AVE, or Advertising Value Equivalent, dates from the days of ‘column inches’, when part of a PR professional’s role included cutting out pieces of print coverage, measuring them with a ruler and calculating what the equivalent amount of advertising space would have cost.
“AVEs measure absolutely nothing other than the vanity of those reporting them”
They were used in vain attempts to put a quantifiable measure to the volume of media coverage earned, but were flawed in many ways and in 2010 communications professionals from around the world formally (and rightly!) rejected them with the establishment of The Barcelona Principles. Instead of measuring outputs, these emphasised objective setting and the importance of measuring effects on outcomes and business results. They have, of course, been continually revised and today the industry is (or should be) working to The Barcelona Principles 3.0, which continue to emphasise goal setting, measurement of outcomes and impact over output, and a holistic approach that drives learning and insight.
I can actually remember using AVEs as a measure in some of the first campaigns I worked on. Perhaps I’m admitting my age here, but when I first moved to the UK, my CV even proudly boasted of the 110:1 and 200:1 ROIs that I’d achieved on the first two consumer PR campaigns I’d led back in South Africa. Those ROIs were measured based on AVEs, but even though they predated the Barcelona Principles by two years, the measures never quite sat right with me because they seemed to be measuring outputs and treating PR only as a form of free advertising.
PR is not, I repeat, NOT free advertising. Nor is it some shoestring alternative.
“PR is not, I repeat, NOT free advertising. Nor is it some shoestring alternative.”
Advertising shifts perceptions by sharing information. You, as the advertiser, retain full control over what it says. But the audience is (or should be) aware that what they’re seeing is what you want them to see.
Public relations is also about shifting perceptions through information. However, you, as the communicating brand, cede control to the outlet that is publishing the information. Why? Because by publishing information about your brand, the outlet adds credence and context to that information.
This too, is why social media has become such an important communications medium. People are more likely to take the word of someone like them, be that a friend, colleague or social media acquaintance, than they are to simply take as truth a paid advertisement or brand website that extols the virtues of the product or brand they’re considering. Increasingly, many are even treating social media as a news source.
All of this, of course, is how the world of communications has turned to the PESO (or ESOP if you share my personal bias) model over the past decade, and, crucially, why a holistic and ongoing approach to measurement is essential.
“A holistic and ongoing approach to measurement is essential.”
At the 2024 PRCA Measurement Conference, CARMA’s Jennifer Sanchis used a fascinating case study of their work with Honda to highlight the role that measurement and evaluation can play at every stage of PR. She highlighted why best practice in measuring and evaluating PR is not just about results, but about ongoing learning and continuous improvement.
So what measures do matter? Share of voice? Keyword mentions? Sentiment analysis? Engagement? Domain authority?
The point is that the answer to this question should depend entirely on what you’re trying to achieve by investing in communications in the first place. What is your goal? Why are you communicating?
Your communications agency should be able to help you find the answer to those questions just as effectively as they create content and build meaningful relationships with the media. At the end of the day, only when you know what needle you’re trying to move can you tell if it’s actually moving.
If you’re not sure how you should be measuring the effectiveness of your communications efforts, or if you think your PR strategy may need to be refined to make it more measurable, please connect with us on LinkedIn or pop us an email - we’d love to chat.
