Members of the IPR Measurement Commission gathered virtually to discuss new and innovative approaches to measurement. IPR Measurement Commission member Sarah Myles, Director of Communications Measurement & Insights at McDonald’s, moderated the discussion.
Participants discussed how PR professionals can measure earned media to maximize value for their organizations.
Key themes from the discussion include:
— In terms of new approaches to measurement in communication, there is a movement toward understanding outcomes as opposed to just measuring output.
—- Outcomes are the behavioral result of an organizational output. Outputs are the actions an organization takes to achieve a certain goal (BMC).
— Aligning measurement objectives will help organizations measure what is meaningful for their decision-making.
— Measurement experts said an overwhelming quantity of data was a consistent problem, as it makes it difficult for organizations to analyze and apply data.
— Companies often have “too many tools” that are misused or not used at all.
— Regarding the issue of data quantity, pushing the data together into one streamlined channel is not the solution: storytelling is.
—- Half of measurement is the actual data; the other half is being able to break that information down into a message that is understandable for the audience.
— Organizations can benefit from having designated measurement “ambassadors” to put the data into words for people outside of research teams.
—- The goal is to make all the decision-makers of a company more data literate, increasing acumen and understanding.
— Qualitative research and measurements are underutilized. They are very valuable in understanding what stakeholders want from an organization.
— For the future of communications measurement, the experts said they believe that media will be a much less important player in understanding organizational outcomes in the future.
— Developments with the Metaverse and AI are bound to impact measurement and professionals are still considering what this means for the future of the industry.
