By Queen Nwabueze
Please allow. Let’s start this article by drawing the conclusion: Only Media Monitoring and Intelligence Services were able to foresee the level of uncertainty that 2023 would bring for businesses. Therefore, if you are not involved in the Nigerian Media Monitoring Industry, you must agree that trying to predict what the election year will bring is utterly absurd.
We all love data as business organizations, but it’s time to stop assessing and analyzing the effectiveness of our media and public relations strategy using unhelpful data or we’ll miss the purpose.
What KPIs and metrics are you using for measurement? Equivalence in Advertising Value? Sorry, but AVE is considered to be a vanity metric given its age.
Using a relatable analogy: Using vanity metrics to gauge the success of your marketing campaign is like using an Instagram filter to cover up all of your imperfections. You look fantastic, but that isn’t a true reflection of who you are.
Vanity metrics give the impression that your public relations and media campaign is successful. There isn’t really any value in the numerous newspaper references, the cover pages featuring your CEO, or the hundreds of connections to your website that you have. Why? Since they are also susceptible to manipulation, they won’t provide you with any ACCURATE information about your company or the behavior of your supporters.
But! Today, it’s not about AVE and other meaningless numbers. Let’s discuss the elections in 2023.
What stage of election preparation are you at as a brand? Do you intend to keep tracking and assessing your exposure and reputation quotient in the same manner and hope for a different favorable outcome? No way!
Every new administration in Nigeria takes office with its own set of guidelines and regulations that frequently burn corporate organizations. The truth is that these gods just use their own method of rolling the dice, and someone very low in the corporate ladder loses something important. Numerous companies have had to close their stores as a result of inconsistent policies that the government of the time truly believed to be harmless.
Do we still punish this sleeping dog, though? Lay it off!
Change the baton yourself by going ahead. Start accepting accountability. How? The first step in getting anything in-depth for you is to work with Media Monitoring and Intelligence agencies who have received AMEC certification. AMEC? You ponder, “But why AMEC?”
A comprehensive, genuinely data-driven method of assessing and auditing communications became essential as PR evolved through time and PR professionals began working across all media. The International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC) now steps in to help with this. For measuring each PR effort for any significant brand, the Barcelona Principles and AMEC’s integrated evaluation methodology are the de facto gold standard.
As an AMEC member, P+ Measurement Services’ top piece of advice for companies in 2023 is to focus on holding yourself accountable rather than the unstable political landscape and the new administration. Ask your clients if they want to diversify their board, which used to be made up entirely of non-politicians.
Additionally, look within. Are you noticing that you continually use the same spokespeople to target more conventional publications? Shake things up. Give everyone in the C-suite a chance to shine. Accept new publications that appeal to a wide readership! Simply change a few things up and watch how well you do.
These days, the brands who deviate from the usual are the ones that succeed!
What about the incoming administration? Yes, you have developed a solid public affairs and government relations plan. But do they actually function? how did you find out? The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) is another matter. The Lagos section? any further industry regulators? What problems exist? What new regulations are there? How precisely do they impact the existence and activities of the brand? Are you certain?
Did you even realize that there were policy updates and other modifications that you might not have been aware of because you were preoccupied with ensuring the delight of your customers? Have you ever considered that 2023 may establish and bury policies and concerns in the media that you missed because you were only looking out for mentions of your brand and competitions? You are too busy for any REAL Media Monitoring job, regardless of how you try to justify it. So just hire independent experts to handle that crucial aspect of your corporate existence. Your brand needs pro-data, media performance analysis, and public relations evaluation, which Media Intelligence Services provide, to start and at every stage until 2023. QED!
It’s fascinating that P+ Measurement Services is one of, if not the only, Nigerian Media Monitoring and Intelligence Agency to be a part of the esteemed international organization AMEC here in Nigeria. AMEC is the perfect fit!
P+, a well-known national and international provider of Media Intelligence Services, has never shied away from the lauded Barcelona Principles. Say there is too much jargon. The Barcelona Principles are as follows: Focus on the outcome of your campaigns rather than just the output; abandon metrics that are equivalent to AD value; and acknowledge the PR worth of outcome evaluation and performance audit. Simple!
Indeed, given the transformation of the media landscape, why not think outside the box when it comes to earned media placements. You assumed you knew this, but you’re about to learn that you don’t: your target audience is already focusing on other media and content consumption.
There are many options to spread your content right now, from building your own blog, podcast, or vlog to investing in a breezier social media campaign. But to avoid wasting money, let the data guide your choice.
Please don’t just go into this deep ocean called 2023 without robust media intelligence as the driver, again from P+ Measurement Services.
In truth, the same PPlus had always been in the lead, pushing for the establishment of the Nigerian Media Monitoring and Measurement Association as the industry’s governing organization (NIMMA). Award-winning P+ has been pushing for the establishment of the Nigerian Media Monitoring body for nearly ten years, even going so far as to publish details of how it operates so that everyone may plainly and unambiguously see that NIMMA is OUR VERY OWN!
You see? No need for alarm. As a corporate brand or HNI, you already have a highly qualified Media Monitoring and Intelligence Service in P+ that can handle and give you specific information about what the election year of 2023 has in store for your brand and your particular industry.
Queen Nwabueze is a Media & Content Strategist based in Lagos.
