The Paine of Measurement

March Madness
'tis the season for
big changes in measurement.

by Katie Delahaye Paine

Somehow March always seems to be a momentous time in my life. I got my first kiss in March, sold my company in March and started chemotherapy in March. And three years ago this March we launched KDPaine & Partners and the Measurement Standard. Now, we've launched our first blog in March.

My mother would blame it on St. Patrick's Day and my Irish grandfather's influence. I think it's just that this is the time of year that us New Englanders get tired of hibernating; we come out of our caves in March ready to rock and roll.

It's springtime of a sort in PR measurement as well, and I feel like we're on the edge of some momentous developments in communications. Over the last couple of issues of the Measurement Standard, we've discussed the major upheavals now going through the content and measurement provider community (here and here). Now this month you'll read about some of the changes and innovations that are, I believe, about to revolutionize the world of measurement.

The Miami conference is the biggest event in PR measurement. I was there and you can read my wrap-up in this issue. What the conference is really about is the application of traditional research methodologies to measurement techniques that can be used by anyone. I heard no fewer than four different new ways to tie PR to the bottom line (read our article about them in this issue). Consumer generated media, including blogs, is changing the way the world works and fundamentally changing the nature of communications. And we're quickly developing tools and techniques to measure them (see our article on measuring blogs in this issue). All of this is helping reshape the role of communicators in organizations.

As more and more organizations realize the value of good relationships, good reputations and good communications, more and more communicators will leave their clip books behind and become true communications counselors. Not that media won't play a role, but its influence will diminish and the influence of the consumer will dominate. What this means for communicators is that they need to be equipped to measure and improve relationships and reputations. That's what most of the sessions in Miami were all about.

So read on: Spring is here and it's time to come out of our caves and explore a whole new landscape.

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