It provides guidelines to the effective use of media measurement tools and boosts the need for sound strategic measurement that suggests the alignment of business objectives to specific outcomes. It also provides the move away from the singular reliance of Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE).
In support of these principles, Lesley Schroeder-McLean, director at PR Africa and co-author of the measurement guidelines, suggests that reach is the foundation of media and PR measurement. "Because AVE is based on reach and reach determines advertisement costs, it is a variable that will remain in play. However, we need to safeguard against the use of non-replicable, non-transparent AVE value calculated by someone deciding on arbitrary multiplier factors, proportional share and so on."
Principles of declaration
In August 2010, the Public Relations Consultants' Chapter (PRCC) of the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA) issued guiding principles around strategic measurement. Among the recommendation was that the use of AVE, where deemed as a necessity, be used on a 1:1 weighting only, and that it be supplement by a variety of qualitative units of measure, to be determined by each company in response to its stated objectives.
Daniel Munslow, vice-chairperson of the PRCC and chief communication officer at Talk2Us, says, "Any business should be seeking to measure the impact of its public relations efforts. The impact should be measured against your business objectives, with specific focus on financial return, brand equity, internal audience perceptions; as well as the variables chosen to assess the media positioning. What is important, is that these variables go beyond the assumption that communication is the end result and accepts that PR is a means to an end."
"Because our effectiveness lies in reach - who we reach, where we reach them, when we reach them, the extent to which our messages reach them and, most importantly, whether people take action on the message - the use of a cost per reach (contact) unit of measurement is a far better metric to use if you have to have a Rand value calculation at output level. This will provide you with a baseline and year-on-year comparable measurement," Schroeder-McLean adds.
To make the basic cost per reach calculation add value when calculating business objectives, additional qualitative criteria must be employed. They include:
"While the exposure in itself is great, we need to be asking which audiences, based where, and defined by what are engaging around the issue and interacting with our content. Without this, we stand holding nothing more than a press clipping that could add no value to the organisational bottom line", says Schroeder-McLean. "Ultimately, we need to show that there has been a change in behaviour and targeted audiences have taken action as a result of our communication efforts."
The PRCC has been, and will continue to host nationwide seminars assisting interested parties with delving into the depth of media measurement and illustrate how these variables tie together to form a sound media measurement plan that can stand up to the scrutiny of senior management. Communication practitioners who have already completed these detailed workshops have reacted very positively. They have suggested the new measurement guidelines represent a 'PR revolution' in South Africa and provide something that has not yet been available. A senior practitioner added, "Measurement is the cornerstone of our profession so we have to get right... PRISA is driving measurement in the country."
Gone are the days where executives are concerned with the amount of exposure that is obtained, they are now asking practitioners to show how this exposure has benefited the business. Armed with market mix and econometric modelling, there is no reason why this cannot be done.
For further information contact Adele Paulsen, executive director, PRISA, email az.oc.asirp@eleda or tel +27 (0)11 326 1262
