4 simple PR measurement objectives

Jessica, a promising new assistant account executive with our firm, requested a meeting due to an “emergency client issue.”

She said that she didn’t understand what went wrong.

“We had this incredible launch of the new Loved Ones Alarm Clock. Jon Bon Jovi played. There were 80 journalists at the party,” she said. “After it was over, I did a media analysis that showed we had gotten 500 hits and 10 million impressions, worth at least $20 million in Advertising Value Equivalents (AVEs).

“I sent the report to the client. He said that he had just gotten back from a big measurement meeting in Barcelona, had taken a look at the media analysis, and told me if he ever saw something like this again, we would lose the account. What went wrong?”

I asked what she was trying to do with the launch.

“We wanted to throw a great party to get journalists there and create buzz.”

“The client didn’t hire you to throw a great party, Jessica,” I said. “They hired you to make people aware of this new alarm clock, generate sales and make sure that consumers know the special features of this product. And, when you say ‘buzz,’ do you mean the sound the alarm clock makes?”

Adding value