There has been much debate in the PR industry about measurement — mainly because measuring earned communications success has always been complex and often has an indirect influence on a brand when compared with other marketing activities.
Businesses operate in an increasingly challenging environment. Today’s savvy senior executives rightly want to know the business impact a campaign has had and not how many clippings the PR team has delivered.
Measurement is not a myth
First and foremost, campaign success and business impact can absolutely be measured. However, it is important to recognise that it also needs commitment and support from the client to ensure an agency has access to the right tools and information required to complete the analysis. In some cases, this may require an additional investment in fees or third-party costs to deliver the desired analysis. But it’s about being clear about what you are trying to show and importantly how that data is going to be used.
A case in point is our collaboration with Omnico Group; together we identified that our integrated campaign generated £12 million in qualified sales leads. This was achieved by putting the right tracking mechanisms in place across each communication channel (earned, owned, paid, etc.) to highlight the return on investment (which actually didn’t need additional investment just effective collaboration with the client).
Download: Omnico Group case study
Introducing Whiteoaks Insights
Our measurement approach has always been valued by our clients and was highlighted in our recent client satisfaction survey which found that 89% of our clients were happy with our reporting, measurement and evaluation service, However, with the growth in data and reporting tools, there is still the need to evolve in this area.
Today, we are officially launching Whiteoaks Insights which is a dedicated brand for our research, measurement and evaluation services which can be utilised throughout the campaign lifecycle.
Our 360 Framework uses Whiteoaks Insights as standard to identify the business objectives, define the target audiences and create the right positioning and audience-centric messaging before the tactical plan is developed to ensure each campaign meets the broader business objectives.
Clients benefit from using Whiteoaks Insights services by gaining exclusive insights to inform communications strategy, including brand perception analysis, audience-driven intelligence and competitor analysis before embarking on a campaign.
Data-driven research can also provide a valuable role within a campaign creating compelling content and strong news hooks to drive brand visibility and audience engagement. Finally, Whiteoaks Insights can be used post campaign implementation to evaluate brand perception change and audience advocacy.
Related: Generating Leads: Proving Communications Worth With Marketing Automation
Measurement as Standard
Measurement has always been at the heart of our approach to PR. Since 1999 we have offered clients tangible results with set performance commitments and formal service level agreements and measurement continues to be a critical part of our mission and vision.
In fact, our approach to campaign reporting is audience-centric and looks at visibility, engagement and impact of the campaign on the target audience to ensure we continue to demonstrate the value and role of PR for B2B businesses today.
If you are interested in hearing more about our Whiteoaks Insights services, please contact us here.
