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April 30th, 2003 The Paine of Measurement K.I.S.S. by Katie Delahaye Paine
Keep It Simple, Stupid (K.I.S.S.) has been a mantra of mine for decades. (Although I confess to having invented my share of complicated analysis systems over the years.) What I recently realized was that the seeming (and sometimes real) complexity of the measurement process is probably the single biggest barrier to the universal adoption of measurement for communicators. Sure it’s cool to be able to analyze your data every which way, or to demo a real-time, online, graphically enhanced, scientifically developed measurement calculator, but how much data can any one person digest and act upon? I’ve seen half a dozen senior executives get up and tout their measurement systems, only to admit that “it's really more data than I know what to do with.”
The clarion call continues to reverberate for “just one number,” a magical, one-size-fits-all metric that you can apply to all PR programs to determine ROI/value/worth/effectiveness. The problem is that by the time you factor in all the variations of a PR program, plus market conditions, plus audience quirks, the formula is so complex that it would take Einstein to explain it. And then there is the expense of complex programs. The more we pursue comprehensive solutions to measurement needs, the fewer people they reach because of budget constraints.
The solution? Start with the simplest possible solution for whatever you’re trying to measure. If you want "A Number," how about Cost per Impression? This is what advertising and marketing types use every day. No need to worry about pass-along numbers, column inches or any other assessment by voodoo economics (AVEs, for example). Take your total budget and divide it by the total opportunities your audience had to see your messages. That tells you how efficient you’ve been compared to other disciplines, and how good a job you’ve done penetrating the market with your messages. Think you can’t afford to measure relationships? The Institute for PR provides an excellent set of questions (download the pdf) that has been shown to be effective in assessing the quality of relationships. Use them with the trial version of Survey Monkey and, voilà: FREE relationship measurement. The answers are there, right in front of us. No more excuses! Keep it simple and start measuring.
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