Which Media Index
Is Best For You?

• Tech100 MediaShare Index
  from Applied Communications,
• imMEDIAte
  from Carma
• The Media Reputation Index
  from Delahaye Medialink

by DM Leary

Most PR measurement experts will tell you that customized research programs are far more valuable than syndicated studies. Although typically more expensive and time consuming, experts argue that, dollar-for-dollar, customized research delivers more actionable conclusions and better direct feedback on your PR investment.

Nonetheless, there are several syndicated media index studies that that can greatly enhance your research intelligence. In this article we have taken a closer look at three benchmark tools from some of the industry's leading PR research firms; Applied Communications' Tech100 MediaShare Index, Carma's imMEDIAte, and the Media Reputation Index (MRI) from Delahaye Medialink. We'll tell you what you can and cannot expect from these syndicated studies. Better yet, we'll help you decide which index best suits the criteria of your measurement program.

Applied Communications' Tech100 MediaShare Index

The Tech100 MediaShare Index delivers a syndicated research snapshot of the 'tech media darlings' of 2001. Spanning 2001, the study takes a look at the media performance of a select group of tech companies picked from InformationWeek’s 100 Stock Index and tracked through more than 8000 published newspapers, magazines, newsletters and media transcripts.

The MediaShare Index is based on volume of coverage and weighted by placement prominence to deliver a score indexed to 1000, giving each company a definitive score and rank in the study.

The index also reports on macro trends which helped shape the study. Legality issues, mergers and acquisitions coupled with the recession specifically affected last year's Tech100. Interestingly—and contrary to Delahaye Medialink's MRI—the Tech100 MediaShare Index noted a significant decline in coverage post September 11.

While the Tech100 MediaShare Index is free of charge and delivers on all that it promises, it does have its limitations. The study only covers 100 technology companies, and it does not take into account tone of coverage, whether positive, negative, or neutral. However, Applied Communications does offer a tone-of-coverage drill-down look at your organization with a complete review through its MediaScope Content Analysis product. These studies typically cost from $3000 to $30,000, depending on volume and frequency.

Carma imMEDIAte

Carma imMEDIAte, unlike the other two products we cover here, is not an annual ranking report, but a subscription-based tool, and a good one. Visit this page on Carma's site for a description. Similar to the MediaScope version of Applied's syndicated offerings, imMEDIAte measures tone of coverage and many other indices for a broad array of companies including American Express, Ford, IBM and Hewlett Packard—a total of 700 companies.

Carma imMEDIAte is generated through a fairly straightforward methodology, capturing the total number of headline stories, along with article placement, sources quoted, tone of messages and even the language of the journalist. These factors, once compiled, place the companies on a favorability barometer, which ranges from 0 to 100 and gives your company a clear indication of your rating relative to others.

Surprisingly, Carma's measurement tool also offers the ability to capture photos and graphics associated with the stories. But what seems to really set imMEDIAte apart from similar services is the availability of this tool as an online service to subscribers. Moreover, the study also offers the unique perspective of coverage breakdown by industry sector, giving subscribers a unique bird's eye view of the competition and what issues are hot and which aren't of immediate importance.

As for imMEDIAte’s good, bad, and ugly ratings, the ugly in this case may be that if you are searching for a general rating of your company free of charge, you aren’t likely to find it here. The good news, however, is that the price of subscribing is low, and for an entry level $13 per day you can begin to monitor your corporate image. One final observation: with this product you'll find a lot of numbers and calculations, but less interpretation of the data.

Delahaye Medialink's Media Reputation Index

The MRI from Delahaye Medialink brings a multitude of characteristics to a syndicated study, none more distinctive than the ability to customize your product. Subscribers to the MRI can track their company's performance against that of America's most admired companies. This allows your company to be evaluated against some of the biggest companies and the issues that are important to them.

In cooperation with The Reputation Institute, a private research organization within New York University, Delahaye Medialink has developed a sophisticated theoretical framework and unique methodology for the MRI. It takes into account reputational dimensions, such as emotional appeal, products and services, vision and leadership, workplace environment, social responsibility and of course, financial performance. These dimensions are tested through a set of key measures that include prominence (an estimate of the likelihood that someone will be exposed to and remember news about a company), tone, weighted impact (composite of prominence and tone), and impressions (audited circulation outlets).

These reputation dimensions, once quantified by the key measures, yield what is called a Net Effect score. The Net Effect score determines a company's placement amongst the benchmark group. For a closer look at the MRI methodology, visit Delahaye Medialink's web site.

The careful theoretical underpinning of the MRI appears to provide greater validity, as it takes into account the tone of coverage of all companies and thus gives a more informed ranking for media darlings. For instance, we note that while Microsoft, (who clearly led the way in Applied’s Tech100 Index), ranked first in the MRI in terms of volume of coverage, but only finished fourth in the MRI ranking behind GE, Disney, and IBM. Clearly, taking Microsoft's negative antitrust coverage into account caused their reputation ranking to suffer.

While the MRI offers the unique feature of customized individual reports, it is limited in its scope; for more than top line data you will have to purchase further research services. One important positive note is that, through Delahaye Medialink's proprietary intelligence tool, NewsIQ, the MRI is the only Index to feature broadcast television media which can, depending on your target audience, add a whole new dimension to the study.

In Summary: Which One Is Right For You?

So what's the verdict: How do you pick an index that meets your measurement needs? Well, for starters, check the summary table above for study characteristics that may be important to your situation. Then consult our Suitability Meter back up near the top of the page for our overall recommendations.

If you are in the technology sector and you are working with a relatively short list of competitors, you won't want to overlook the Tech100 MediaShare Index. It is, simply put, the tech-oriented index for the media relations field. We do recommend that, depending on your budget, you invest in the MediaScope Analysis offered by Applied, which gives you a more complete look at your coverage.

If you are looking for a low-cost, always available online solution to tracking your media campaign efforts, Carma's imMEDIAte delivers the goods.

Finally, if you’re looking to benchmark your organization against some of the most admired companies in America, the MRI is the way to go. Its strong theoretical framework results in a uniquely well informed comparison of reputation.

Sources:

• Applied Communications: Tech100 MediaShare Index (info@appliedcomm.com or 415.365.0222)
• Carma International: Carma Immediate (info@carma.com or 202.842.1818)
• Delahaye Medialink: Media Reputation Index (info@delahayemedialink.com or 603.431.0111)

|