At PR News' upcoming Measurement Conference in Chicago, Kirstie Foster, director of corporate and brand communications for General Mills, is going to present a case study looking at a new measurement program she just rolled out for brands such as Cheerios, Yoplait and Pillsbury. Historically, there's been a lack of consistent PR measurement across General Mills' brands, according to Kirstie, and there hasn't been formal integration of the Barcelona Principles until now.
We're talking about a complete rethinking of PR's role at one of the oldest continuously operating companies in the U.S. It's a full-scale attempt to make sure that PR is held accountable for its efforts from the point of view of management, and to make sure that management sees clearly just how vital the communications function is to a company's business success.
One thing's for certain about what Kirstie's doing at General Mills—the measurement overhaul was proactive in the extreme. From what Kirstie tells me, it's all-encompassing. We're not just talking about the integration of social media measurement with more traditional PR metrics—we're talking about well-thought-out training for the staff, both internal staffers and those with her agency partners.
Before our Measurement Conferences we send out surveys to attendees and ask them what questions they want presenters to address. The most common questions run along these lines:
"What's the most widely used metric for measurement being used today?"
"What's the single most effective way to communicate the value of PR?"
"What's the best tool for measuring social media engagement?
It's a human trait to want black-and-white answers to difficult questions. Solving questions about PR measurement might not be in the same realm as solving problems associated with climate change, immigration and violent fanaticism, but as with those dilemmas, there's no simple solution, no silver bullet.
"What's the best metric for measuring PR?" is probably not the most fruitful question to ask. If you suspect you might need the same kind of overhaul as the one led by Kirstie Foster, a more existential question might be a better starting place, such as, "What can I do to help my organization succeed?"
Proceed from there with your measurement overhaul.
—Steve Goldstein, PR News @SGoldsteinAI