Measuring Trust and Mistrust in Public Relationships

Our text Katie Delahaye Paine - “for more than two decade, she has been helping companies measure their success and listen to their customers.”

Katie Delahaye Paine - “for more than two decade, she has been helping companies measure their success and listen to their customers.”

Comparing Media Relations to Other Disciplines Pre and post survey for our class How many people are or have been involved in a media relations role? There is an increasing demand for results accountability We’ll work on what the results actually are or mean A tighter economy means more tightfisted ad spends

Pre and post survey for our class

How many people are or have been involved in a media relations role?

There is an increasing demand for results accountability

We’ll work on what the results actually are or mean

A tighter economy means more tightfisted ad spends

What You Want at the End

What NOT To Do Advertising Value Equivalencies Applying the dollar cost of an ad space purchase to the amount of earned media coverage achieved by public relations efforts Problems: public relations and advertising and two entirely different disciplines designed to do things different ways There is no scientific evidence to demonstrate that a six-column inch ad has the same impact as a six-inch story in the same publication Which has more? If you apply the same metric across all articles, you neglect to account for the credibility of the placement or the reputation of the article AVEs are based upon open rates and ad rates are often negotiated

Advertising Value Equivalencies

Applying the dollar cost of an ad space purchase to the amount of earned media coverage achieved by public relations efforts

Problems:

public relations and advertising and two entirely different disciplines designed to do things different ways

There is no scientific evidence to demonstrate that a six-column inch ad has the same impact as a six-inch story in the same publication

Which has more?

If you apply the same metric across all articles, you neglect to account for the credibility of the placement or the reputation of the article

AVEs are based upon open rates and ad rates are often negotiated

What NOT To Do Advertising Value Equivalencies On average 10 to 20 percent of earned media coverage is negative, yet most companies include this in their AVE coverage! You would not run an ad saying “our company sucks”

Advertising Value Equivalencies

On average 10 to 20 percent of earned media coverage is negative, yet most companies include this in their AVE coverage!

You would not run an ad saying “our company sucks”

What TO Do Cost per impression or cost per 1,000 eyeballs This is the standard in online, print and broadcast Remember that CPM measures just reach, not message penetration It’s easy to compute: AVE - Total circulation stats of all outlets / total costs and expenses

Cost per impression or cost per 1,000 eyeballs

This is the standard in online, print and broadcast

Remember that CPM measures just reach, not message penetration

It’s easy to compute:

AVE - Total circulation stats of all outlets / total costs and expenses

The AVE Math is Pretty Simple

Better: Cost Per Message Communicated CPMC: based upon message impressions, rather than article impressions This is a good metric because only about 20 percent of public relations placements contain a key message. Think about that: of all of the earned media that organizations churn out, only one fifth of them contain key messages.

CPMC: based upon message impressions, rather than article impressions

This is a good metric because only about 20 percent of public relations placements contain a key message.

Think about that: of all of the earned media that organizations churn out, only one fifth of them contain key messages.

Better: Cost Per Message Communicated

Better: Cost Per Message Communicated Formula: total opportunities to see a message = (number of key messages in article #1) x (circulation of article #1) (number of key messages in article #2) x (circulation of article #2) (number of key messages in article #3) x (circulation of article #3) total PR costs / total opportunities to see a key message

Formula:

total opportunities to see a message =

(number of key messages in article #1) x (circulation of article #1)

(number of key messages in article #2) x (circulation of article #2)

(number of key messages in article #3) x (circulation of article #3)

total PR costs / total opportunities to see a key message

Measuring Trust and Mistrust Enron vs.. FedEx When trust helps an organization build relationships with key constituencies, it can save money through reduced costs of : Litigation Regulation Legislations Pressure (corporate) campaigns Lost revenue from bad relationships

Enron vs.. FedEx

When trust helps an organization build relationships with key constituencies, it can save money through reduced costs of :

Litigation

Regulation

Legislations

Pressure (corporate) campaigns

Lost revenue from bad relationships

What is Trust? A component of the quality of relationships Multilevel - interactions that span coworker, team, organizational and interorganizational alliances Culturally-rooted - Norms, values and beliefs of the organization - is it in the organization’s DNA? Communications-based - the outcome of communications behaviors, like providing accurate information, explanation for decisions demonstration sincere and appropriate openness

A component of the quality of relationships

Multilevel - interactions that span coworker, team, organizational and interorganizational alliances

Culturally-rooted - Norms, values and beliefs of the organization - is it in the organization’s DNA?

Communications-based - the outcome of communications behaviors, like providing accurate information, explanation for decisions demonstration sincere and appropriate openness

What is Trust? A component of the quality of relationships Dynamic - it changes as it cycles through business phases of building destabilizations and dissolving - it’s important to measure over time Multidimensional - multiple factors at the cognitive, emotional and behavioral levels, all of which affect an individual's perception of trust

A component of the quality of relationships

Dynamic - it changes as it cycles through business phases of building destabilizations and dissolving - it’s important to measure over time

Multidimensional - multiple factors at the cognitive, emotional and behavioral levels, all of which affect an individual's perception of trust

Reflexive Trust If you consistently obfuscate, lie and spin, at some point your very statements begin to enhance you competitor’s -- or enemy’s -- credibility. Examples?

If you consistently obfuscate, lie and spin, at some point your very statements begin to enhance you competitor’s -- or enemy’s -- credibility.

Examples?

Measuring Trust - Grunig Relationship Survey Agree/disagree statements (Likert scale) I am happy with this organization. Whenever this organization makes an important decision, I know it will be concerned about people like me. This organization can be relied upon to keep its promises. I believe that this organization takes the opinions of people like me into account when making decisions. I feel very confident about this organization’s skills.

Agree/disagree statements (Likert scale)

I am happy with this organization.

Whenever this organization makes an important decision, I know it will be concerned about people like me.

This organization can be relied upon to keep its promises.

I believe that this organization takes the opinions of people like me into account when making decisions.

I feel very confident about this organization’s skills.

Measurement Tools In depth phone survey Why is this #1? Online surveys Low cost and quick turnaround What are the disadvantages? Focus groups

In depth phone survey

Why is this #1?

Online surveys

Low cost and quick turnaround

What are the disadvantages?

Focus groups

Setting Up Your Trust Measurement Define your publics - who matters? Set specific measurable goals and objectives This is really hard Select a measurement tool Surveys Focus groups Before and after polls Analyze the results

Define your publics - who matters?

Set specific measurable goals and objectives

This is really hard

Select a measurement tool

Surveys

Focus groups

Before and after polls

Analyze the results

More on Analyzing Results Identify opposition to management goals or decisions before it becomes a crisis or develops into an issue. Use your data to help management understand that certain decisions may have adverse consequences on public trust. Set realistic expectations..your results might be invisible like avoiding lawsuits, strikes, protests

Identify opposition to management goals or decisions before it becomes a crisis or develops into an issue.

Use your data to help management understand that certain decisions may have adverse consequences on public trust.

Set realistic expectations..your results might be invisible like avoiding lawsuits, strikes, protests

Post-Lecture Survey How many of you who have been involved in a communications role have used: One of these tactics Two to four of these tactics Five or more?

How many of you who have been involved in a communications role have used:

One of these tactics

Two to four of these tactics

Five or more?