“Are we there yet?” “How much longer before we arrive?” Every vacationing parent recognizes these words as the first expression of our need to know where we are and what progress we’re making.
Measurement matters. It’s how we know whether our efforts are having any impact. It’s how we know whether we’re making progress toward a goal or whether we’re stalled.
We measure what’s important to us. We measure to understand what is going on. We measure to provide insight into what works and what doesn’t.
Measurement really matters in emerging and fast changing fields. And social media is a field that is evolving rapidly. Evolving in participation, as it transforms from something for early adopters to a part of mainstream life. Evolving as new tools and platforms proliferate. Evolving as people adopt it and find new uses for it.
A stellar roster of speakers
The Third Tuesday Measurement Matters conference in Toronto on September 28 will be a full day conference focusing on the most important issues and best practices in social media monitoring and measurement.
Attendees at Third Tuesday Measurement Matters will meet, hear from and participate in discussions with social media measurement experts, including Katie Paine, Carol Leaman, Ilya Grigorik, Charles Funk, Marcel LeBrun and David Alston (tentative), Sheldon Levine, Josh Hallett, Claude Théoret, Pragya Dubey, Scott Lake, Leona Hobbs, Darren Barefoot, Rob Clark, Brian Cugelman, Christopher Berry, and Patrick Gladney.
A Conference by communicators for communicators
Anyone who uses social media for their work or is serious about it must understand what we can and should measure and how we can do it. Public relations practitioners have been among the first to realize and explore the potential of social media. So the Third Tuesday Measurement Matters conference should be of real interest to you.
Registration is open for the Third Tuesday Measurement Matters #TTMM conference, to be held in Toronto on September 28. I hope to see you there.
Posted by Joseph Thornley on June 12th, 2010, in Public Relations. Comments Off
In this week’s episode of Inside PR, Martin Waxman talks with co-hosts Joseph Thornley and Gini Dietrich about the merger of Palette PR with Communications MECA to form Energi PR. Martin provides some insight into what motivated him to make the change, the use of outside advisers and lessons he learned through the process.
You can listen to the complete Inside PR podcast at InsidePR.ca or by subscribing through iTunes.
Posted by Joseph Thornley on June 7th, 2010, in PRPeople. Comments Off
The news broke on Twitter that two Canadian PR agencies, Montreal-based Communications MECA and Toronto-based Palette PR, have sealed a deal to merge in a new firm, EnergiPR.
I had the good luck to be at a CCPRF meeting with Esther Buchsbaum and Carol Levine, the principals of MECA. They agreed to step out of the room for an interview about the merger, their motivation in doing it and how they made it happen.
Listen to the Inside PR podcast to hear my interview with Carol and Esther.
Posted by Carol Levine on February 8th, 2010, in Public Relations. 1 Comment
The Canadian Council of Public Relations Firms recently named Carol Levine as its new Chair. Carol who succeeds Joe Thornley, Chairman and CEO of Thornley Fallis Communications & 76 Design is Co-Founder and Partner of Communications MECA, a national agency specializing in consumer and healthcare public relations.
Carol is a veteran PR practitioner whose career spans forty years, primarily as an agency owner. Communications MECA was a founding member of the CCPRF.
“The CCPRF is a relatively young organization that has quickly become an important voice for the public relations industry in Canada. Considering the braintrust of our members, as well as the growing recognition of PR as a valuable and distinct marketing discipline, I am confident that the CCPRF will continue to have a significant impact in shaping the future of public relations,” said Carol Levine.
The CCPRF is a national organization comprised of 23 member firms representing the majority of Canada’s leading public relations consulting firms. Founded in 2005, the Council is dedicated to promoting the role of public relations in business strategy and organizational performance. Governed by common principles, the goal of the CCPRF is to promote the professionalism and development of public relations consulting and provide leaderhip in areas that influence industry growth.
The CCPRF also aims to advance the business of public relations by building its value as a strategic business tool, by helping member firms manage successful and profitable businesses, by promoting the benefits of a career in public relations and by providing professional development.
Posted by Joseph Thornley on December 22nd, 2009, in Public Relations. Comments Off
On November 30, the CCPRF issued an RFP for media monitoring and measurement services. Several suppliers submitted proposals by the December 17 deadline.
Thank you to everyone who showed interest in this process and, especially, to the bidders.
The CCPRF is striking a subcommittee of members who will meet in early January to review the proposals in detail and then lead a discussion at our full CCPRF January meeting.
If the initial review of proposals yields a clear winner, we will contact the winning bidder and the unsuccessful bidders to inform them of the outcome. On the other hand, if there’s no clear winner, we may ask a subset of the bidders to meet with us via teleconference to discuss their proposals prior to determining a preferred supplier.
Bottom line: Our selection process may be wrapped up in mid-January or it could take a few weeks longer.
Look here for further news about this process.
Posted by Joseph Thornley on November 30th, 2009, in Contracting. 2 Comments
The Canadian Council of Public Relations Firms has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for media monitoring services. This RFP covers both traditional and online media.
Download the Monitoring RFP if you are interested in submitting a proposal to provide these services.
On Tuesday, June 23, 2009, the Canadian Council of Public Relations Firms will host a panel of industry leaders to share their insights and perspectives on how cutbacks to mainstream media and new social media practices are redefining the PR landscape.
Panelists include:
Dr. Terry Flynn, PhD, assistant professor, DeGroote School of Business and national president of the Canadian Public Relations Society.
Mathew Ingram, online communities editor, Globe and Mail.
Keith McArthur, senior director, digital communications, Rogers.
The panel will be moderated by Trevor Campbell, president, Porter Novelli Canada.
You can follow the event on Twitter, hashtag #CCPRF, or watch this website for a recap of the discussion.
Posted by Joseph Thornley on March 17th, 2009, in Public Relations. 1 Comment
By Patrick Gossage, Chairman, Media Profile
There’s new and considerable fuss about the endless gloom and doom being spread by mainstream media about the economic downturn in Canada and how this may actually be impacting consumer behavior and worsening the situation.
Compounding this is a distinct lack of creative PR from companies who are hit. Layoff announcements and reporting of awful results all add to the general tone of misery. The media add to thius shock and awe reporting and we just live in fear and stop spending.
I am not suggesting that some positive spin is needed – although you could argue it is! But it seesm nobody wants to talk about the real bargains that our hurting economy has produced – in retail, travel, even in restaurants and leisure activities. To position these as “our” response to the downturn appears out of bounds.
Moreover, in the auto industry, the focus of the most gloom, there is little creative messaging or thought given to how to position Canadian manufacturers in a way that will get people back in the showrooms. Toyota does have an amazing ad with a salesperson in a showroom pointing out which models are in fact made in Canada. If ever there was a time to urge customers to buy a car to keep jobs here this is it. Only the union talks about this.
I guess those looking for bailouts, or laying people off have to keep the focus on how bad things are, forgetting that customers are looking for value and good product. Not much of this being communicated. Time to start.
And for the media to spend some time looking for pockets of hope before we all go to bed, pull the blinds and wait for summer.
We received an email from a new public relations practitioner asking how he should charge for his services. I’d like to share his email and my response.
The question:
I’m an up and coming media/PR consultant. I was in the media industry for 13 years and now I’m looking to develop my own consulting business. …
Recently, I acquired my first client. I’ll be paid on a per project basis. The client wants me to work on a social networking website campaign I suggested. Basically, I’ll be putting together this small business’ Facebook and Twitter pages. I’m trying to figure out how much I can charge this business. Should I go with a per hour rate? If so, how much? Or a flat rate? If so, how much? I’m also trying to determine how long it will take to build traffic and interest to these social networking pages. I’m guessing it’ll take 4 to 5 months for any substantial growth. This company is looking at this campaign as a new way to attract interest to its website/store.
I’d appreciate any thoughts as to how much I can charge.
My answer:
What you charge depends on the overhead you must carry (your needs), the value to the client (what you should charge), the budget of the client (what you may only be able to charge.) Bottom line, I’d start by asking for a fee equal to what I think the project will be worth the the client based on anticipated results. Then, if they cannot afford this, you can decide whether to negotiate an acceptable fee.
Your thoughts:
How would you answer this question? What’s the right way to charge for public relations services?
Posted by Joseph Thornley on January 14th, 2009, in Public Relations. 2 Comments
By David Gordon
Executive Vice President, Cohn & Wolfe
Or…What I really wish I’d known before our first date.
Unlike the dating process, where dinner and a movie can quickly screen out unsuitable matches, identifying a good agency/client relationship can be a time consuming and expensive proposition.
To ensure the expectations of a ‘perfect date’ are matched by reality, both parties should be prepared to ask, and answer, a variety of intimate questions before the doorbell even rings:
1. Is this your first time? (Experience)
Agency – outline experience in the client’s business and related sectors. Clearly demonstrate the relevance to the assignment at hand.
Client – describe your experience with public relations, including in-house capabilities. If new, demonstrate a willingness to learn what is necessary to be a good partner.
2. Who will be coming on our date? (The team)
Agency – introduce the team and their roles. In particular, introduce the day-to-day account manager and confirm the role of senior staff to demonstrate they are not just there for ‘the pitch’.
Client – provide a day-to-day contact and confirm they will be available to meet with the agency, approve materials and stick-handle projects through the company.
3. What do you like to do for fun? (Risk and Creativity)
Agency – demonstrate your creativity. Show how you have used different approaches to meet client objectives in the past.
Client – clearly articulate your corporate culture – are you willing to try new ideas or are you more comfortable with tried and true methods of communication.
4. Are we speaking the same language? (RFP vs. RFI vs. RFQ)
Each of these mechanisms is distinctly different and it is important to both parties that they be appropriately used. RF = Request For; P = Proposal; I = Information; or Q = Qualifications.
Agency – an RFP should ask you to provide a strategy and tactics to meet a specific scenario or respond to a series of clearly stated questions. For an RFI or RFQ, it should be a simpler process (which may lead to an RFP) that asks for information about your firm and capabilities.
Client – the request should be well laid out and easily understood. Using a document designed for advertising or engineering is not always relevant to public relations. Make sure scenarios are clearly articulated and appropriate information is provided. Be prepared to answer questions and share responses with all bidders. Provide appropriate timelines and rules.
5. Do I look good in this? (Situation analysis)
Agency – demonstrate insight into the competitive challenges currently facing the client.
Client – open the closet and share your knowledge. This is an opportunity to demonstrate your willingness to work with a team. No one knows your business as well as you.
6. How will we know if things are working out? (Objectives and Results)
Agency – articulate what you will measure and how it relates back to the client’s business objectives.
Client – clearly state your objectives and work with the agency to set reasonable expectations.
7. How do you feel about commitment? (Project relationships vs. AOR)
Agency – be willing to prove yourself based on a project.
Client – be open to the benefits of an ongoing relationship, which include having an educated agency account team with a diversity of experience constantly looking for opportunities on your behalf.
8. Have you had your shots? (References)
Agency – provide the names and numbers of previous and current clients. If they are no longer clients, explain why.
Client – look at the client list and references and see how many are long-term. If the agency seems to have always been dating but never married, find out why.
9. Who is buying dinner? (Budget and Finances)
Agency – budgets should set out the number of hours required to complete the assignment, along with the team resources dedicated to it. Billing rates, administrative fees, and mark-up policies should all be clearly laid out.
Client – don’t expect the agency to work for free, but expect budget accountability and ROI. If there are budget limitations these should be established in advance.
10. Where do we go from here? (Strategy and Tactics – First Steps)
Agency – provide a timetable of what needs to happen in the first 30, 60 and 90 days in order to deliver the program. Set up a management model of how you will work together. Be passionate about the strategy you provide – relationships might survive without passion, but they aren’t as much fun.
Client – make an investment in your new relationship. Hold an education session for the account team, so they can learn as much about your business as possible in a short time. You will be better off in both the immediate and long-term by putting as much into the relationship as you take out.
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