PR industry launches new standard for measurement and ROI

April 21, 2006; 07:23 AM

TORONTO, April 21 - At an event yesterday in Toronto, over 275 communications industry professionals gathered for the launch of a new standard for measuring editorial coverage and return on investment (ROI) called Media Relations Rating Points (MRP(TM)).

In an unprecedented initiative, leading public relations agencies, Canadian marketers, and associations have joined together to endorse this new measurement system.

Developed by the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) Measurement Committee and endorsed by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), the new MRP system, available at www.mrpdata.com provides the first cost-effective, easy-to-use tool for the qualitative evaluation of any media relations campaign.

A marketing-PR industry poll conducted by the CPRS Measurement Committee in 2005 revealed 96 per cent of respondents agreed there was a need for a standard PR measurement. A solid 99 per cent of respondents said that they would use a standardized MRP system.

"Our members tell us that one of the greatest challenges communications practitioners face today is measuring editorial media coverage," says Karen Dalton, APR, executive director of CPRS. "Media Relations Rating Points will allow us to use for the first time a consistent, official system of measurement that can compare media relations activities, as well as accurately calculate return on investment to stakeholders. MRPs will soon become as important in the PR industry as GRP ratings are to the advertising sector."

The primary objective of creating the MRP system was the development of a simple, standardized reporting system that can be widely accepted and utilized with ease to measure any type of editorial coverage (i.e. print, broadcast, online) stemming from proactive media relations campaigns, crisis communications or unplanned media attention. The MRP system includes a media report template, rating system and tool for obtaining up-to-date accurate reach numbers.

The rating system can be easily customized by company or by project and provides clear metrics to evaluate media coverage, track total reach and cost per contact. It allows users to qualitatively evaluate editorial tone and article content.

Key to the success of the MRP system is a dialogue at the outset between the communications professionals executing the campaign and the stakeholders evaluating its success to determine and agree upon the set of criteria used. These can include, but are not limited to, brand mention, key message inclusion, prominence, photo, spokesperson quote, positioning and media type.

"By determining the criteria for a project and incorporating MRPs at the onset, a project will have measurable results," says CPRS Measurement Committee member Rachel Douglas, manager of communications for Cara Operations. "From a corporate side, I can now use this system to measure the effectiveness of agency projects and benchmark my company's successes. The MRP system will give any marketer a real indication of how well they're getting messages out to the public via the media."

The MRP system has been tested for two years by the CPRS Measurement Committee and some of Canada's most respected organizations including Bank of Montreal, Cara Operations, Coca-Cola Ltd., Jamieson Laboratories as well as Visa Canada.

In an effort to further provide a consistent system of measurement, the new MRP system is linked to a subscriber-based database that provides for the first time, up-to-date reach figures for all Canadian media. The online service will be available in both English and French via www.mrpdata.com for an annual fee of $725 for a single license with a 10 per cent discount to CPRS and IABC/Toronto members. Users have the opportunity of testing out the system by downloading the template and user guide at no cost.

News Canada, a company recognized for the past 25 years for its accurate bank of media measuring data was selected by the CPRS Measurement Committee to provide up-to-date reach figures for print, URL, television and radio to ensure a standardized set of reach numbers. To implement this, News Canada is drawing on a variety of respected industry suppliers including BBM for broadcast coverage; Combase/Crop/Stathebdo for community newspapers; NadBank for daily newspapers; and PMB for magazines.

"Up until now, the print circulation and broadcast reach figures used by PR agencies has varied widely, as has the method of formulating impressions. Quite often, at a client's request, advertising equivalents were also being used to measure earned editorial coverage and calculate a ROI - a practice that's ineffective and misleading," says CPRS Measurement Committee member Tracey Bochner, APR, senior vice-president, APEX Public Relations. "The new MRP system provides our industry with a consistent and accurate framework for evaluating media coverage."

An online forum on public relations measurement, including an industry blog has been developed by David Jones and his team at Thornley-Fallis Group to facilitate dialogue between users and the CPRS Measurement Committee. The blog, available at www.prmeasurement.ca is designed to share best practices, benchmark campaigns and collect feedback that can help steer further development.

About the CPRS Measurement Committee

The Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) created the CPRS Measurement Committee in response to a growing need by Canadian public relations professionals for a new, standardized system of metrics to evaluate editorial media coverage. Composed of a dedicated group of marketers and agency managers, the Committee conceived and developed the Media Relations Rating Points (MRP) system that is being launched in April 2006. The members of the CPRS Measurement Committee are: APEX Public Relations/Tracey Bochner, Pat McNamara; Cara Operations/Rachel Douglas; DDB Public Relations/Martine Levy; National PR/Doris Juergens; Porter Novelli Canada/Maria Antonopoulos; Strategic Objectives/Mike Abbass; Thornley Fallis Group/David Jones.

About The Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS)

The Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) is the only Canadian professional association representing more than 1,600 public relations practitioners in 16 Member Societies across Canada who commit to following a Code of Professional Standards. The Society offers a program of professional accreditation in public relations (APR), professional development and education programs affiliated with various colleges and universities, a job registry, networking opportunities, an annual national conference, a directory of all members and a forum for information sharing. More information is
available at www.cprs.ca.