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According to Dabbs, there were roughly 180 delegates at the conference, with 25 papers presented. Delegates includes well-known academics, such as Dr Tom Watson from Birmingham; and Dr Don Wright from Boston. Measurement practitioners such as Sandra Macleod of Echo Research and Katie Paine were also in attendance; as well as representatives from international public relations companies; press clipping agencies; and market research companies from North America, Europe, the U.K,
Russia, and Australia - Dabbs was the only South African delegate.
Dabbs' focus at the summit was on looking for the underlying message and how to apply this. He found that measurement is becoming more accepted worldwide, especially during the recession - which may seem contradictory, as companies are limiting their overall expenditure, yet are keen to determine their own reputation and that of their competitors in the marketplace based on media monitoring. This relies heavily on the field of monitoring, which is the core focus of Newsclip's business
model. In this light, monitoring and evaluation were key topics discussed at the Summit. Dabbs feels that basic measurement principles will remain unchanged, but states that the future message, derived from the summit, is that planned measurement is of key importance - and that PR practitioners need to look beyond mere output and instead focus on holistic outcomes, by adopting a more methodological approach toward attitude and opinion change. This will vastly improve the professionalism and
occupational discipline of the communications industry in general. To put it simply, we need to ask how to take measurement and shift it from simply 'adding up the numbers' to using the information to achieve an end goal, and how we put numbers on what we hope to achieve. Dabbs wants to apply this information in such a way as to determine what it means for South Africa.
These points are linked to what Dabbs terms 'the three O's', which are set principles important for monitoring and evaluation, which is a key Newsclip activity. The principles are:
Outputs (PR production, message distribution, media evaluation);
Outtakes (understanding and retention of the message by the public, target change); and
Outcomes (the end goal - what do you want the outcome to be? This includes financial and sales measures, coupled with the effect on attitudes, opinions and behaviours).
From a South African perspective, Dabbs feels there is a definite need to bring these established public relations principles into play. The shift from focusing on the mere outputs of a campaign to pre-determining the outcomes and ascertaining whether the end goals have been met is vital. Dabbs adds that 'outflow' can be seen as the fourth 'O' - this is the monetarisation of the campaign, relative to the financial growth of the company, as well as the quality of relationships
intrinsic to the process; and reputation factors. It therefore requires the integration of a PR function into marketing, and joining these principles so that professionals aim for both financial gain and market penetration. This is based on several intangibles, such as creating values by building up the company's reputation, as well as forming stable relations with important stakeholders - while leaving enough room to manoeuvre. Dabbs feels that the simple starting point is based on
determining the end goal of the campaign right from the start, and determining whether this goal is, in fact, measurable. One would use this as a base and then work backwards, by defining the objectives; determining the criteria, choosing a benchmark, selecting a measurement tool, comparing the results obtained with the objectives set, and modifying the campaign in order to better meet the intended outcomes.
Dabbs explained that the concept of Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE) as a monetary unit of measure does not equal Return on Investment (ROI), and adds that AVE is alive and well. It should be considered as an accepted method of good practice. However, he cautions that AVE should not be taken at face value, as PR practitioners need to take into account the fact that mentions of their campaign do not necessarily comprise the entire article for which an AVE unit is determined. They need to
determine which portion of the total AVE is actually relevant to their specifically-set outcomes. This outcomes-based unit of measure needs to then be projected in a trend, in order to clearly see where the campaign has succeeded and where it missed its mark, in order to make necessary changes to ensure future success. Dabbs points out that the global recession has had a negative impact on US and European companies, but despite this, there has been an increase in measurement, as companies are
now asking themselves not only how well they are doing, but also how well their competitors are doing. Therefore, from a measurement perspective, the recession is encouraging more business understanding and responsibility against competitors. Competitor analysis is therefore on the increase, even in the current pressurised economic climate.
Analysis, based on a code of good practice, is therefore a core element of monitoring. However, one must take into account that analysis leaves sufficient room for different stakeholders to arrive at an answer - which may not necessarily be the same answer, depending on who is involved and which methodologies are implemented. Analysis is thus not prescriptive. However, it is key in determining the LSM groups and target areas to focus on. Newsclip already has this meta-data built into its
technical system, as opposed to the European models, which require the monitored clips to be reloaded into the system for further analysis. This means Newsclip is able to instantly generate analysis reports. Through this, Newsclip has created a platform for people to analyse the information themselves. Dabbs feels that as a result of this key functionality, based on Newsclip's innovative systems which lie at the cutting edge of the face of monitoring, Newsclip is bounds ahead of other media
monitoring companies, as it can assist its clients in determining their favourability in the media.
In terms of the future and 'where to from here', Dabbs sums up the crux of the message for South Africa as follows: campaigns need to be defined; end goals determined; campaigns measured consistently and honestly, and the code of good practice needs to be adhered to. Campaigns need to be evaluated based on whether they have the desired effect; whether they can be changed while 'in progress' (formative) as opposed to merely at the end of their run (summative); and the impact on
consumer and opinion-leader awareness; understanding; retention; attention and behavior levels.
Media measurement also needs to be seen as part of a whole. It is comprised of media metrics and content analysis, as well as qualitative tracking of attitudes; quantitative data collection; multiple-stakeholder analysis for reputation management; and scorecards. If tied in with market research; consumer surveys and the like, it can assist in giving an overall reputation value. After all, not all disseminated messages are received by their appropriate target publics - and even if they are
received, this does not necessarily lead to the desired change in attitude and opinion. If PR measurement is to develop and grow as an occupational discipline, we need to pay careful attention to what's happening around us.
