PR
Technique Software:
Issues Management
on the Desktop
PRWeek, October 10, 2005 By David Ward
The call for metrics that effectively measure PR efforts has probably been around
since the first
clip book. But
there seems to
be an added urgency
to that need today,
especially as PR
carves out an ever-growing
role in the marketing
mix.
Part of this is being driven by improvement in tools that gauge PR success or
failure. Issues
management software
from companies
such as Cymfony,
Biz360, VMS, and
Bacon's Information
and its subsidiary
Delahaye, can now
provide real-time
updates, as well
as, in many cases,
analysis of what
all aspects of
the media are saying
about a company,
its latest products,
and its competitors.
But
the real driver
for the increasing
adoption of these
software solutions
is the corporate
bottom line. 'Everything
is being measured
these days because
budgets are tighter,'
says Jessica Kersey,
senior director
of worldwide PR
for Polycom and
a Biz360 client.
'You must do more
with less, and
you must prove
the value of what
you do for the
dollars that you're
using.'
'The
drive is coming
from the corporate
clients,' adds
Mark Weiner, president
of Delahaye. 'Executives
are requiring a
better sense of
the return on investment,
and clip books,
as helpful as they
are, don't provide
that.'
Most
issues management
software tend to
be monthly or annual
services whose
prices depend on
the number of issues
or words that a
client wants to
monitor. That information
is then delivered
in real time to
the client via
a software dashboard
that resides on
their desktop.
'We
provide hundreds
of different ways
to look at data,'
says Deborah Eastman,
Biz360's EVP for
sales and marketing.
'We'll work with
a client to find
out which ways
are most relevant
to them and then
design a dashboard
that triggers when
that information
is delivered.'
Many
of these software
applications also
take the next step
by putting what
amounts to raw
numbers in their
proper perspective.
'No software is
a crystal ball,'
says Pat Fennessey,
VP of professional
services for Cymfony.
'But they can take
the evaluation
of trends out of
the realm of the
anecdotal and into
the realm of fact.'
She
cites the low-carb
diet as an example,
noting, 'Many consumer
product companies
were caught flatfooted
by the low-carb
craze. It wasn't
because they didn't
know it was a trend,
but they couldn't
quantify it as
a trend against
other trends.'
At
the heart of most
issues management
software are keyword
or Boolean search
applications that
scour relevant
data- bases looking
for references
to a product, for
example, and then
try other words
in the sentence
or story that determine
whether that coverage
is positive, negative,
or neutral.
Jerry
Swerling, director
of PR studies at
the USC Annenberg
School for Communication
and a PR management
consultant, points
out that naysayers
have seized on
this to dismiss
issues management
software as just
search engines.
But
he adds, 'You can't
really dismiss
them as just word
searches because
they also can do
a very good job
of determining
context. They look
at tonality, they
look at share of
discussion, so
it can be so much
more.'
James
Waggoner, president
of the VMS analysis
division, stresses
that a key to effectively
using this type
of software is
the understanding
that, while artificial
intelligence can
do a lot, it can't
do everything.
'Things like satire
can influence your
assessment, and
if you're getting
a low volume of
clippings, some
misapplied references
can really impact
substantially what
you're trying to
track,' he says.
Michael
Buxbaum, SVP of
strategic development
and marketing at
Bacon's Information,
suggests that the
biggest mistake
companies make
is using software
only to measure
results and not
to help identify
the issues before
a PR campaign kicks
off.
'You
may end up creating
a campaign that's
reacting to a single
blogger or editorial,'
he says. 'So you
need to find out
first if it is
a real issue and
whether there is
a gap in the marketplace
that a PR effort
can address and
fill.'
David
Geddes, SVP and
partner with Fleishman-Hillard,
also stresses the
need to have some
goals in place
before implementing
issues management
software.
'There
are companies that
have been signed
up who don't go
through the necessary
process of thinking,
'What are we doing,
and what do we
want to measure?''
he says. 'You should
always start with
figuring out what
are your objectives
and strategy, and
then you can measure
the effectiveness
of the programs.'
You
also need to realize
that using software
to only keep track
of your company
and its immediate
competitors won't
necessarily give
you the big picture.
Noting that about
20% of clients
now monitor issues
outside of their
own company name,
Ann Ertsas, director
of marketing and
PR at Bacon's,
says, 'More and
more companies
are becoming proactive
and asking for
a wider scope of
monitoring.'
Swerling
also stresses that
there is no one-size-fits-all
software solution
out right now.
'The
most important
thing is, first
of all, (to) understand
your own needs
and your own culture,
and then to realize
that you're probably
not going to get
what you need off
the shelf,' he
says.
Even
once this software
is in place, PR
pros need to then
take the time to
figure out who's
going to analyze
the data. VMS CEO
Peter Wengryn says,
'Many clients prefer
that we perform
the analysis for
them, and we use
(artificial intelligence)
along with humans
to vet out the
relevant information.
But we also provide
them with the tools
so they can do
a lot of it themselves.'
'Technology
for these purposes
is great because
it's consistent
and fast,' Weiner
adds. 'But the
technology itself
isn't intuitive
and doesn't understand
nuance.'
There
are many intangibles
to PR, so it's
vital not to drive
a PR strategy just
by the numbers
you see on a software
dashboard.
'These
key indicators
tell you what's
happening,' Weiner
says. 'But they
don't tell you
why it's happening
or how long it
will continue,
and they don't
tell you what you
should do about
it.'
TECHNIQUE
TIPS
- Do
embrace the future.
Technology is changing
PR, and issues
management software
is the best example
of that. But remember:
These applications
are your tools,
not your replacement
- Do look to customize.
Make sure you tailor
the application
to deliver only
the content you
need
- Do share the wealth.
Custom reporting
and analysis generated
by issues management
software is valuable
to other departments,
as well, so get
regular updates
to the entire company
- Don't just look
backward. Make
sure you have software
in place to measure
the issues before
a campaign and
not just after
it runs its course
- Don't become obsessive
about numbers.
These applications
provide metrics
and analysis, not
solutions
- Don't lose your
clip book. Issues
management software
can provide lots
of valuable information,
but you still must
take the time to
read what's being
said about issues
important to your
company.
|
