We are excited to announce the results of our second-edition research report with partner PR News, “The State of Data-Driven Communications.” We surveyed over 400 communicators to better understand the role of media measurement and analysis in communications strategies. One interesting, but not that surprising, finding is that 83% of communicators must defend or are preparing to defend their decisions using data due to pressure from the C-suite. 

We hear this in a lot of conversations with communicators – you need data with which to make informed decisions and again to prove the impact of those decisions to the C-suite. Unfortunately, however, only 21% of corporate respondents have analysis and insights they can easily share with their CEO or executives directly and just 24% are always prepared with accurate data they can trust to make decisions.

There is hope though.  Encouragingly, 65% of corporate respondents said they use media analysis and measurement to show how their efforts are contributing to broader business goals. Communicators are thinking strategically and want a seat at the table, but they still need the right analytical framework and measurement processes to prove it.

Read the full report for more PR measurement insights here and see how you stack up against your peers.

Survey shows that PR professionals increasingly value measurement although data quality is still not reliable enough to fully guide strategy

TYSONS CORNER, Va., November 29, 2018 (Newswire.com) –PublicRelay, in partnership with PR News, today released the results of the study “The State of Communications Data and Measurement,” which surveyed 400 corporate and agency communications professionals to identify how they perceive media analysis and gauge the role that data is playing in their communications strategies. This study is the second edition of a measurement study series launched in 2017.

According to the report, measurement remained an important priority for PR professionals this year. Close to 52 percent of agency participants and 47 percent of corporate respondents claimed that they are spending more time on media measurement this year than last year. This growing importance is fueled by the desire of communicators to demonstrate success, with 65 percent of both corporate and agency respondents expressing that they increasingly use measurement to show how their departments tie results to broader business goals.

“These findings are uplifting as they signify the empowerment of our industry,” said PublicRelay SVP of Strategic Partnerships Darren Sleeger. “Today’s communicators aspire to do more with data and analysis than simply prove their worth. They seek the actionable insights from analyzing media data that will help them secure buy-in for their strategies.”

While the demand and desire for PR and communications insights are growing, the study brings to light a deficiency in the quality of data and analysis available:

•  Data accuracy is only slightly better. Nearly 69 percent of corporate respondents and 60 percent of agency respondents explained that they felt they only had access to good data sometimes and that its quality is not consistently reliable. While an improvement of six percent from last year’s survey where 75 percent of corporate participants indicated that they only have good data occasionally, it still shows that accurate and consistent data remains elusive.
• Media analysis is not clear. Only 21 percent of non-agency audiences and close to 16 percent of agencies say that they can easily understand their data and can readily share stories and insights with executives. This statistic is a slight improvement from 2017 where 20 percent of corporate audiences said that their data was simple to understand and share.
•  Data needs to be more insightful. When asked how professionals would change their measurement process to better meet their needs, almost 62 percent of corporate and 67 percent of agency respondents stated that they would make it more insightful, and closer to 56 percent of non-agency and 59 percent of agency participants said they’d make it more comprehensive. In 2017, 61 percent of corporate respondents said that they’d like to make their processes more insightful, while 47 percent said they’d like to make it more comprehensive.

“As a profession, we need to work on bridging the gap between the desire for insightful, accurate data and what the state of measurement currently is,” says Sleeger. “The communicators that are excelling today understand that there is no silver bullet for measurement. The insights that give them both a look forward and the ability to adjust along the way are derived from technology paired with human analysis. It’s not ‘single-click’ easy but the payoff is a more strategic partnership with the business.”

A complete copy of the “The State of Communications Data and Measurement” report can be found here.

About PublicRelay:
PublicRelay is the most trusted media analytics solution for communications and marketing professionals at the world’s most recognizable consumer and business brands, associations, universities and government agencies. Our clients confidently use our media analysis to plan and measure influencer engagement, reputation management, competitive landscape and message pull-through. Known for its innovation, superior data quality and actionable insights, PublicRelay helps communicators not only understand what they have done but what to do next.

Interview dedicated to getting to the bottom of what makes leaders “tick”; CEO will share insight from his journey to entrepreneurial success

Tysons Corner, VA October 26, 2018 — On Saturday, October 27th at 7am on www.biztalkradio.com and www.tunein.com PublicRelay Founder and CEO Eric Koefoot’s Executive Leadership podcast will air.

The Executive Leaders Radio is a broadcasting body that conducts “elite interviews” of prominent CEOs, CFOs, and Presidents. These ten to twenty-five-minute on-air interviews are informal conversation designed to inspire other professionals with “what it takes to succeed”.

Executive Leader interviews can contain a range of topics. Guests can be asked questions about their background education, influences, mentors and career experiences and challenges, their business, and, even, interests outside of work and family sacrifices.

Eric has been a successful business executive for over two decades. This internet pioneer has either founded or served as a senior executive in Internet companies since 1996. He was CEO and Publisher of U.S. News Ventures, CEO of Five Star Alliance, and CFO and later VP of Sales at Washington Post Digital. Prior to his entrepreneurial endeavors, he was an executive at Ford Motor Company and Deloitte Consulting.

The podcast will cover Eric’s professional and personal journey to becoming a successful leader and later serial entrepreneur. Koefoot will share secrets as to what makes him “tick” and give advice to up-and-coming executives or entrepreneurs trying to start their businesses.

After the show airs, listeners can access the content on iTunes or podcast sites: Castroller.com, Podbean.com, and PodcastPickle.com. The show will also be posted on (www.executiveleadersradio.com).

Premier provider for PR and business analytics opens office in Dublin; Ireland move will allow the company to strengthen service to clients

TYSONS CORNER, VA., October 9, 2018 (Newswire.com) – PublicRelay, the premier provider of PR and business analytics, celebrated the opening of its first European office in Dublin, Ireland, in the Grand Canal Dock area.

The move strengthens the company’s international footprint and offers it a connection to new clients in the EMEA region that will benefit from the company’s premium media intelligence solutions that analyze coverage in over 20 languages. This global expansion will also give PublicRelay’s existing clients enhanced worldwide services at a speed matching that of the modern, global news cycle.

“The decision to expand into Europe was a natural step in our rapid growth as we continue to transform the world of data and analysis,” said Eric Koefoot, CEO, PublicRelay. “Since the day we founded PublicRelay, we’ve strived to deliver clients trusted media, brand and reputation analytics with an extreme focus on customer service. This move will provide our clients with an enhanced ability to react more quickly and effectively based on quality insights.”

PublicRelay’s human-assisted AI approach pairs highly trained analysts with the best technology to quickly deliver the insights companies need to drive action and impact business goals. PR teams across the globe have access to an unprecedented level of insight, capturing perceptions on topics that matter to brands such as message pull-through or reputational drivers such as Corporate Social Responsibility, Innovation and Diversity, rather than just counting keywords in their media coverage. Since its founding in 2008, the company has grown significantly and now counts many of the world’s leading brands as customers.

“Today marks a company milestone as we continue to enhance our operational excellence and ensure that we meet the demands of the complex and growing global media landscape,” said Darren Sleeger, SVP of business development and strategy. “Furthermore, we are excited to continue our growth as an international employer with talented professionals to serve the needs of our global clients.”

The company, which is actively hiring, in addition to its new Dublin office currently has operations in Boston, Denver, San Francisco, San Diego and Charlotte and is headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia. For more information about PublicRelay, visit www.PublicRelay.com.

About PublicRelay

PublicRelay is the most trusted media analytics solution for communications and marketing professionals at the world’s most recognizable consumer and business brands, associations, universities and government agencies. Our clients confidently use our media analysis to plan and measure influencer engagement, reputation management, competitive landscape and message pullthrough. Known for its innovation, superior data quality and actionable insights, PublicRelay helps communicators not only understand what they have done but what to do next.

Experts in PR and business analytics to hold a workshop at the international event on measurement best practices; session seeks to give PR practitioners ways to tie strategies and tactics to business objectives

Tysons Corner, VA  (October 1, 2018) – PublicRelay, a trusted analytics provider for Communications teams, will be joining other public relations industry experts as a speaker at this year’s PRSA International Conference taking place October 7-9.

On the second day of the event, from 3:45- 4:45 pm on Monday, October 8, PublicRelay CEO Eric Koefoot will deliver a real-world, practical look at how the best communicators are using insights from data about brand reputation, competitors and peers, and messaging to make more effective connections with authors and influencers, as well as build more targeted strategic plans that impact critical business goals.  The session will also contain case studies about teams that are using measurement data to be more agile and even predictive about their efforts.

“Since our founding, our mission has been to change the way communicators see and leverage trusted data and transform it into valuable insights” says Koefoot. “We want practitioners to embrace analytics as a way to enhance their strategies and tactics, align themselves with the broader business, and even boost collaboration across their entire organization.”

Every year the PRSA International Conference attracts thousands of public relations industry professionals for learning and networking. This year’s conference tracks include: Reputation Management and Crisis Management, Big Data and Measurement, Hack-a-Comm, Leadership and Management, Tools and Techniques and Special Interests.

To meet the PublicRelay team during the event, stop by booth 714 or click here to learn more about and register for the measurement workshop. You can also visit www.publicrelay.com, for more information about their solutions for Communications professionals.

About PublicRelay

PublicRelay is the most trusted media analytics solution for communications and marketing professionals at the world’s largest brands. Our clients confidently use our media analysis to plan and measure influencer engagement, reputation management, competitive landscape, and message pull through. Known for its innovation, superior data quality, and actionable insights. PublicRelay delivers accurate analysis that not only shows you what you’ve done but what to do next.

The final article of our five-part series produced with partner PR News, examines the impact of data analytics on corporate communications.

“Having a good foundation of creativity, compassion, and ethics cannot be replaced, but neither can numbers…the numbers tell you where to begin, but your heart should be where you end.” Communications professionals are rapidly adopting a data analytics approach to their PR efforts by pairing it with their already strong creative capacity. Executives from Bloomberg, PNC, U.S. Green Building Council, and Southwest Airlines discuss their experiences in the new data-heavy communications landscape. Their stories highlight the importance of those looking to enter the communications field to learn how big data impacts the PR work of some of the world’s largest companies.

Click here to read the rest of the article >>

The fourth article of our five-part series produced with partner PR News, examines some of the challenges of reputation management.

Measuring brand and corporate reputation is integral to the overall measurement of communications efforts but often thought to be problematic. Part of the reason is because it’s nuanced and requires more human intelligence. This article, featuring communication executives from KPMG and Aflac, explores topics such how to accurately measure your reputation, how often you should do it and what should it cost you.

Click here to read the rest of the article >>

TYSONS CORNER, VA, January 4, 2017 – PublicRelay today announced that the company is partnering with the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™ for the third consecutive year to provide real-time communications intelligence and coverage analytics at CES 2018®, produced by CTA and running in Las Vegas from Jan. 9-12, 2018. PublicRelay will operate the Communications Media Hub Nerve Center at CES, monitoring news coverage, delivering daily trending data, and providing real-time media analysis about exhibitors, speakers, and trending topics throughout the show.

CES is the world’s largest and most influential global technology event, and PublicRelay is powering the event’s 360 degree communications program with premier media intelligence. Going far beyond the traditional media coverage metrics and lists, PublicRelay utilizes powerful technology paired with trained analysts to deliver rich, actionable insights and provide insightful narratives all day, every day. CTA leverages this data to understand precisely how the show and exhibitors resonate in the media, to know what is hot, and to maximize media visibility and impact at CES.

As the leading media intelligence company known for its ability to turn data into high-quality, real-time, actionable and interactive insight at scale, PublicRelay will:

• Offer interactive dashboards to visualize media reaction and insights on and off the event floor.
• Identify and track top exhibitors, speakers, and products that are driving media engagement and social buzz at the show.
• Provide insights into the messages that are most effective and powerful in the media – far beyond simple keyword analysis.
• Deliver rich analysis of key influencers, enabling CTA to engage with them quickly and effectively.

“PublicRelay’s technology delivers unmatched insights into the trends, issues, and influencers at CES, making our team more focused and effective every single day of the show. This means we can deliver increased impact and value to our exhibitor partners at CES,” said Jeff Joseph, CTA’s VP Communications & Strategic Partnerships.

“Now in our third year at CES, we are excited to partner with the CTA team and help them be more effective in leveraging media, proving again why the world looks to CES to see the future of technology,” said PublicRelay President and CEO, Eric Koefoot. “The fit is perfect: CTA is using our technology to showcase the latest tech ideas at the one place the world looks to see innovation at work.”

About CES:

CES® is the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50 years-the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace. As the largest hands-on event of its kind, CES features all aspects of the industry. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)^TM, it attracts the world’s business leaders and pioneering thinkers. Check out CES video highlights. Follow CES online at CES.tech and on social.

About Consumer Technology Association:

Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™ is the trade association representing the $321 billion U.S. consumer technology industry, which supports more than 15 million U.S. jobs. More than 2,200 companies – 80 percent are small businesses and startups; others are among the world’s best known brands – enjoy the benefits of CTA membership including policy advocacy, market research, technical education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CTA also owns and produces CES^® – the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. Profits from CES are reinvested into CTA’s industry services.

About PublicRelay:

PublicRelay is the most trusted media analytics solution for communications and marketing professionals at many of the world’s largest brands. PublicRelay’s clients confidently use its media analysis to plan and measure influencer engagement, reputation management, the competitive landscape, and message pull-through – and tie them back to business objectives. Known for its innovation, superior data quality, and actionable insights, PublicRelay delivers accurate answers to the most pressing strategic business questions surrounding media.

Check out the latest article in our five-part series about measurement with PR News covering the Communications Leadership Roundtable in late November, a convocation of 12 senior communications professionals co-hosted by PublicRelay.

Discover how data is transforming the world of communications and helping PR gain an important seat at the table when business issues are being discussed. Learn about how top-tier leaders are using data to help defend their organization, plan for the future, tackle social media and more.

Read our latest feature in PR News 

Survey of Communication Leaders Reveals Lack of Confidence and Absence of Insightful Data

TYSONS CORNER, Va. December 5, 2017 – PublicRelay, in partnership with PR News, today released the results of the study “Reliable Media Data that Drives Communications Strategy Remains Elusive,” which surveyed corporate communications professionals at both Vice President/CCO and director levels to identify how they perceive metrics and the role data is playing in their communications strategies. The study found that, when asked how prepared they are with data to make actionable decisions, nearly 75 percent of director-level communicators felt that while they sometimes have good data, the quality is not consistently reliable. Only 19 percent said they are prepared with accurate data they can trust.

The high-quality data outputs that practitioners are looking for include accurate share of voice comparison among peers and competitors, author and publication intelligence, information about industry influencers, how traditional media is being shared across social media, and sentiment for brand and reputational drivers. Considering that over 60 percent of VP-level and above communicators are asked by the CEO and Executive Board for this type of data-driven analysis, the survey found that 40 percent of practitioners find it difficult to understand the media analysis they receive and therefore spend a significant amount of time cleaning it up to discover and interpret the true insights.

Other key findings from the study highlight:

• Accuracy and Insightfulness are Essential. 61 percent of respondents desire to make media intelligence more insightful. The most important changes VP-level and director-level communicators desire from their media relations intelligence process is better accuracy and insight, above speed, lower cost and comprehensiveness.
• Inefficient Use of Time. Nearly 40 percent of director-level communicators find it difficult to understand the media data they receive and spend a large amount of time cleaning up the data to seek out legitimate insights. More than half of respondents are spending more time on media analysis and intelligence this year compared to last.
• Desire to Focus on Other Activities. 69 percent of communicators said they’d rather spend time building strategic messaging plans and 65 percent said they’d prefer to spend efforts pitching or focusing on influencer outreach rather than media analysis.

“These findings clearly demonstrate the need for a fundamental shift in the way communicators generate trustworthy media intelligence to deliver on broader business goals. Senior communications executives are behind the eight ball as CEOs and boards are demanding decisions supported by data and not just gut instinct,” said Eric Koefoot, President and CEO of PublicRelay. “What is deeply concerning is the prevalence of irrelevant metrics and a staggering lack of reliable data. It is clear that technology alone, including AI, is not even close to delivering the needed insight from marketplace conversations. Communicators need to invest in solutions that give them trusted data-driven answers that are board-worthy.”

About PublicRelay

PublicRelay is the most trusted media analytics solution for communications and marketing professionals at the world’s largest brands. Our clients confidently use our media analysis to plan and measure influencer engagement, reputation management, competitive landscape, and message pull-through. Known for its innovation, superior data quality, and actionable insights, PublicRelay delivers accurate answers to your strategic business questions.

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Media Contact

Christine Blake
Public Relations
W2 Communications
703-877-8114
christine@w2comm.com