Media coverage: forget about the quantity - measure the quality

Published 2001

The days when media effectiveness was measured by a bunch of clippings are gone.

So too is the old adage that “any publicity is good publicity”.

This was highlighted recently when the global media research company, CARMA

International, reported that its analysis of worldwide media showed:

• Microsoft is the most reported-on corporation in the world
• BMW is the most favourably reported-on corporation in the world.

Today there are several aspects to media coverage and measurement that should be

understood.

Share of Voice

Share of voice is akin to measuring perceptions. Every company should know what its

share of voice is.

Share of voice in public relations refers to the amount of free editorial media coverage a company gets compared to its major competitors - in trade, business and mainstream media.

It’s akin to measuring perceptions. In its own sector, a company that gets the largest

share of voice is often perceived as the leader or innovator (outside of issues-based

reporting - crisis, sharemarket moves etc).

If you are market leader, you should remain constantly focussed on gaining and

maintaining number one share of voice. If you are not you need to be asking why.

If you are a number two or three in the market then your aim must be to gain a media

share of voice greater than your share of market. In this way you can often be perceived as bigger and more innovative than you actually are.

Favourability

It’s vital to know how much of the coverage you received was favourable.

Coverage for its own sake means little. A key aim of the public relations program must be to ensure that the balance of coverage is favourable to the organisation.

Sometimes an organisation can’t control this factor e.g. a corporate takeover where the terms and conditions are not seen by the market to be favourable.

But an analysis of all coverage, looking at the balance, is essential. After all, you have

little or no control over issue-related unfavourable coverage, but you should be able to

proactively put out favourable messages in a way that optimises their chance of gaining coverage.

Messages

n organisation needs to prioritise its media targets and not become complacent because it is achieving coverage in one type of media.

Every media-based program must have a clear set of messages that the organisation wants to impart and see reflected in its media coverage.

These are not messages as a brand manager or advertising agency would prepare for a

sales leaflet or advertisement. They have to be credible messages that the public should relate to.

Crafting them takes real skill and is usually best done by someone outside the organisation that is better positioned to achieve a balance between internal desires and external reality.

Once these messages are determined, the organisation’s success in getting these reflected through media coverage has to be measured.

Media

All media coverage is not equal in importance and relevance. An organisation needs to prioritise its media targets and not become complacent because it is achieving coverage in one type of media. After all, what your Board reads is not necessarily what your investors or customers read.

In the same way as your advertising spend will be based on factors such as readership, demographics etc, so should your PR media program.

Your organisation may have the greatest share of voice in business or financial press because it is publicly-listed. But this may be coming largely through Stock Exchange releases and your response to media enquires.

In the meantime you may be neglecting the all-important consumer or trade press where the perceptions of your product or service among your customers is so important.  Leaving this door wide open may provide an opportunity for an innovative competitor to take the ‘perception’ lead away from you right where it counts - in front of your customers.

Trends

Using public relations to build profile and reputation is a long-term investment. Any media program needs to measure changes and trends.

Any planned and sustained media relations program will have long term aims. Messages take time to be accepted; media relationships take time to build. Also the environment changes and issues come and go - all of which impact on the measurements.

Management should be able to see whether the investment they are putting into public relations is adding value and providing a pay-back. One of the surest ways to achieve this is to be able to produce an historical monitor across a number of criteria.

Conclusion

Effective public relations is about managing the media interface and providing outputs to achieve pre-determined outcomes.

Public relations is all about getting companies and their products noticed. It’s about helping market leaders remain recognised as market leaders through share of voice.

And for the aggressive number 2s or 3s to be getting a share of voice that helps the market perceive them as either being bigger and better than they actually are, or simply as ‘tomorrows choice’.

Note: The author of this article is a senior Sydney-based independent corporate PR consultant who works with Australian PR Managers to help them evaluate and measure the effectiveness of PR programs. He also undertakes PR audits of PR Department structures and programs. In addition he provides specialist corporate PR and communications advice. He also blogs regularly on PR and communications topics similar to those in this article.

See comment on the implications for Australian PR Directors and Managers of a 2010 US survey on PR measurement.