5 steps to the Land of Intelligent Measurement in your PR & comms

There is a place where anyone who cares about demonstrating effective, results-driven and value-for-money communications and public relations needs to go.

It’s the called the ‘Land of Intelligent Measurement’.

No longer can they say, you can’t measure, it’s too expensive, just delivering work where the media coverage is an end in itself.

Robert Philips, the former CEO one of the world’s largest PR networks, Edelman, in his thought-provoking and provocative book ‘Trust me, PR is Dead’ reckons: “PR’s failure – and financial impotence – to fully embrace data and therefore be driven by real-time insights. The big network chiefs are clearly not putting their multi-millions in data investment dollars behind the PR companies in their empires.”

“Other sectors simply offer greater insight and more measurable success. There is now a purer evidential base on which to build relationships. PR is nowhere near fully understanding or embracing it. We paid lip service to the challenge of measurement. Today … art without science will simply not cut it. PR can no longer be Creationist in its thinking. We need a new model of Public Value.”

At Smoking Gun we believe the answer lies in living in the world of ‘Intelligent Measurement’ that works alongside our natural gift and flair for creativity – and most importantly where we can overcome our biggest enemy: ‘Fluffy PR’!

Evaluation needs to touch both your brand and other people in some way. It has to motivate, to create a live map to steer and guide your next steps. You wouldn’t drive a car without a dashboard, why drive your PR, Content Marketing, Marketing and Comms campaigns without one.

Any brand journey of a thousand miles consists of thousands of iterated steps, where you need to listen and learn every step of the way.

The concept of ‘iteration’ now sits alongside the words ‘evaluation’ and ‘measurement’ in the land of ‘Intelligent Measurement’.

Thanks to Google and its Penguin, anyone who cares about ensuring you can demonstrate your effectiveness, results and value-for-money can now go to the ball. In the ‘Land of Intelligent Measurement’ we really are opening up new chapters to a better world of public relations.

#1. Throw the garbage out – away with rubbish like AVE’s – Advertising Value Equivalents.

#2. You have got to measure the Smoke – and not be ‘Fluffy’. What is the equivalent of what Sherlock Holmes observed as the ‘smoking gun’?

#3. Your measurement must work across different channels.

#4. Where there’s easy data – use it. Challenge people for better data.
Where there’s smarter data – treasure it.

#5. Share the wisdom and share the mantra:

PR without intelligent measurement rally is ‘Fluffy PR’. Isn’t it time you booked your ticket to the ‘Land of Intelligent Measurement’?