New Survey Highlights Inability to Measure Comms Impact on Business Objectives

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Nov 14, 2017, 06:50 ET

Global PRWeek survey, commissioned by Cision®, reveals comms professionals are not fully capitalizing on data and technology

CHICAGO, Nov. 14, 2017 /CNW/ -- Cision (NYSE: CISN) today released a new study, in partnership with PRWeek, that examines the biggest challenges facing comms professionals today, including the inability to measure the impact of comms programs and PR coverage on business objectives.

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Globally, 65% placed tightening budgets among their top three most difficult challenges. This is the breakdown by country.
Globally, 65% placed tightening budgets among their top three most difficult challenges. This is the breakdown by country.
Orange represents business impact: Globally, 75% feel the comms industry can do a better job at measuring and proving its impact on business objectives. Navy represents content creation: Globally, 66% placed content creation among the three most important activities for their brands. Teal represents consumer behavior: Globally, 55% are unsure whether or not there was any digital or real-world behavior driven from the brand’s content. This is the breakdown by country.
Orange represents business impact: Globally, 75% feel the comms industry can do a better job at measuring and proving its impact on business objectives. Navy represents content creation: Globally, 66% placed content creation among the three most important activities for their brands. Teal represents consumer behavior: Globally, 55% are unsure whether or not there was any digital or real-world behavior driven from the brand’s content. This is the breakdown by country.

Measurement has come a long way for comms professionals. It's no longer just about the potential reach of an article or guessing equivalent ad value – it's about embracing digital measurement to prove real business impact similar to their colleagues who run paid and owned channels. With tightening budgets, comms professionals must embrace advancements in data and technology to measure the performance of their campaigns effectively and understand impact on bottom line, such as the ability to facilitate e-commerce conversion or contribution to lead-gen programs.

"To those that appreciate great storytelling, the value of comms is something they're able to understand anecdotally," says Chris Lynch, CMO of Cision. "But that's just the issue: Even to those that appreciate it, comms is not directly tied back to key business objectives like the rest of marketing. This survey clearly demonstrates that comms pros know they struggle to attribute value back to the business and that they need technology and measurement to help achieve that goal."

Key survey results include:

Inability to measure impact effectively named top challenge:

  • 75 per cent of respondents believe aligning metrics to the bottom line impact is among the biggest challenges when measuring communications
  • 69 per cent of respondents don't feel that they have enough data and analytics to properly attribute how their earned media programs impact the bottom line
  • 71 per cent of respondents don't feel they are fully capitalizing on all the benefits of technology and data

Content deemed one of the most important PR activities, but its true impact remains unknown:

  • 66 per cent of respondents placed content creation among the three most important comms activities
  • 86 per cent of respondents believe sustained, ongoing content programs drive better results than episodic or one-off campaigns
  • 58 per cent of respondents don't know what people actually do after they consume the brand's content
  • 72 per cent of respondents see room for improvement in leveraging tools to better understand the demographic, sociographic and psychographic profiles of those who view their content

Facebook voted most influential social platform:

  • 44 per cent of respondents see social media as the most effective form of content to influence consumer and customer behavior
  • 44 per cent of respondents named Facebook as their social media platform of choice, followed by Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, respectively
  • 59 per cent of respondents believe everyday consumers (such as family and friends) are among the most influential on consumer and customer behavior

"We're hearing comms pros and their need for new technology and reporting to help with measurement, and we're responding," added Lynch. "Comms pros are now empowered with technology and data to understand the exact audience that consumed their earned content and tie it back to key business objectives, such as conversion. This will help them improve the quality of their campaigns and receive a greater share of budget."  

About the 2017 Global Comms Report: Challenges and Trends
The results above reflect responses from 425 communications and marketing professionals – including representatives from PR agencies, in-house roles and consultants – from around the world, including North America (U.S. and Canada), Europe (UK, France, Germany, Sweden) and Asia (China). A full report on the findings can be viewed here.

About Cision
Cision Ltd. (NYSE: CISN) is a leading global provider of earned media software and services to public relations and marketing communications professionals. Cision's software allows users to identify key influencers, craft and distribute strategic content, and measure meaningful impact. Cision has over 3,000 employees with offices in 15 countries throughout the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. For more information about its award-winning products and services, including the Cision Communications Cloud®, visit www.cision.com and follow Cision on Twitter @Cision.

Contact:
Nick Bell
VP, Marketing Communications
[email protected]

SOURCE Cision

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