Factoring PR Measurement into 2007 Budget Plans.

One of today’s hottest trends in mainstream public relations is ROI Measurement- specifically how metrics reporting should be factored into every strategy plan and execution. Several major industry publications have analyzed this topic consistently throughout the year. In fact, PR Week’s July 10th cover story specifically reported how ‘Metrics’ played a central role in Waggener Edstrom’s awarding of the BMC Software account worth an estimated $1 – $2 million yearly. It was noted that Return on Investment Measurement would be crucial to linking the firm’s goals to compensation- “an effort to directly tie PR to business objectives.”

In an era when “PR needs to help the sales team close the deal,” (PR Week, 7/10/06) these trends are rapidly creating similar pressures for Hispanic marketing communications, perhaps more so. Many “multicultural marketing” budgets often are generated from mainstream funding sources. While planning for 2007 programs, have you asked yourself or your team any of these questions?

– How will we measure the effectiveness of Hispanic PR objectives?
– What intelligence or brand insight will we link to the program?
-How have we better positioned the product or service with the targeted Hispanic audience to potentially boost sales?

A planning phase is a good time, versus the end of a program, to ponder such thoughts and consider reviewing the industry’s latest reports. The PR Tactics July 2006 edition included an excellent article on this topic where several measurement experts estimate that spending approximately 4-7% of a PR budget on measurement will yield effective results. They suggest that measurement funding may not even need to be found within the PR resources. An organization may have earmarked “research dollars” that can be applied to a PR outreach program. Go back to the basics and DO YOUR HOMEWORK NOW. Within that article it was noted, “… we must measure, the program doesn’t count unless you can count it.”

Some communications elements that can be measured include:

– Analysis of media coverage focusing on a story’s overall tone
– Verification and assessment of the product or campaign’s
key messages
– The audience demographics data for each media source (helps match the campaign’s audience target with the actual results)
– Overall impressions figures for the summarized editorial coverage
– Summary of Ad-equivalency values for published articles
– Comparison of competitor’s media coverage and
industry news
– Customized measurement that corresponds with established corporate Metrics goals (to be established by client)

To view charts CLICK above on ‘More Images’.

By: Christine Clavijo-Kish
Managing Partner, LatinClips