Measurement without an Account Planning foundation is a waste of time!

Futureproofing of PR will happen when we futureproof its measurement & associated data analytics. It has the potential to trigger a change at the grass root level in terms of acknowledgment, talent, investment, and growth.

However, this will need a strong foundation of account planning.

The primary job of a healthy & futuristic PR measurement engine is to show a linear relationship between the PR efforts undertaken by an organisation for each of its stakeholders and the business or brand outcome those efforts have been able to generate from those stakeholders. For many of us, we have also called this approach Account Planning.

Account planning gives purpose and provides a stepping stone toward the success of the concept, execution, and measurement & associated data analytics of the communication program. Conversely, PR measurement ends up being a waste of time in the absence of this basic scientific approach.

OSOM (objective setting & objective meeting) is a term that I frequently refer to during my client conversations. It sets a context for account planning. And yes, it is all about working it backward! If thought through well, account planning can help you answer the construct of WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, HOW & WHY!

1. WHO – indicates the profile of the target audience or stakeholders one wants to communicate with
2. WHAT – indicates the key messages and the talk point one wants to communicate
3. WHEN – indicates the start and end time of the communication program
4. WHERE – indicates the market definition where the target audiences or stakeholders are based
5. HOW – indicates the mediums, communication tools, strategies & tactics, etc. which will be deployed
6. WHY – indicates the brand or the business outcome or the behavioral change one is expecting from the target audience. This is where the discussion of ROO and ROI sets in

Account planning is a combination and detailing of all the 6 above. Now, while PR Measurement helps evaluate whether we have achieved WHY through point 7 above, the exercise that precedes is a strong foundation of detail across the aspects of WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE & HOW. Stakeholder management and its measurement will get strengthened immensely through account and media planning.

Cut to the real world, just around 5% of Indian corporates are exercising a complete drill-down of this account planning structure. This is why, it is this niche segment that started reaping the benefits of strong communication input, output, and outcome matrices. Their PR measurement is responding to various communication stimuli and accruing the following benefits for them: a) on-the-go understanding of the mood of the business ecosystem b) mapping its brand reputation scores c) ability to back-track and pinpoint the root cause for any dip in scores due to imbalances in ERPs – efforts, resources or processes d) showcase ROO and ROI value the communication function has been able to bring on the table e) understand competition thought process f) media intelligence g) fortify client-agency relationship h) strengthen client organisation’s Data and MiS i) budget optimisation j) scientific performance evaluation of corporate communications function by top management k) adds involvement and accountability from top management and so on.

Is account planning the prerogative of PR agencies only? No, it is not. Account planning is a working style or approach toward building and sustaining the demand of an organisation and its product brands across stakeholders throughout the year. It is a mesh of scientific and customised brand communication ERPs – efforts, resources & processes.

Therefore, even in-house, or corporate communication functions of organisations can practice this approach.

Futureproofing our industry is directly linked with how quickly and effectively we imbibe the culture of account planning and make it a default habit.

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Siddhartha Mukherjee

Siddhartha is the founder of Brand Balance that helps the C-suite & CCO collective optimize its Brand Reputation Management ERPs (efforts, resources & processes) across stakeholders. His professional mission is to establish the Corporate Communications function as the only engine towards brand reputation and valuation success.

Before setting up Brand Balance, a neutral organization, his past 23 years of holistic learning curve includes leadership roles across all the three sides of the industry – corporate communications, communications firms and as a business head of a brand data analytics, audit, research & measurement global behemoth. During spare time, he bikes across the Indian highways, writes articles, consults students & professionals and teaches at media and business schools.