Adieu AVE, we have moved on

Has your media outputs been as impactful as you had hoped it would be this year? How are you keeping track of your media coverage? As you strategise and plan for 2016, why not use this time to invest in understanding this year’s media outputs and see what can be changed to take it to the next level next year.

One of the many challenges faced by the public relations (PR) and communication industry is showing the value of all the communication efforts to the powers that be. It can be quite tricky to illustrate the return on investment because it is very seldom possible to say that a specific article or radio interview generated a certain number of sales. The overall media exposure works towards building a solid reputation, which takes time. Assuming you are strategic, with a carefully sculpted message sent through to key media, which you know will speak directly to your target audience, how do you measure the value of that article?

For years communication professionals have used what is known in the industry as the Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE). What this means is that the size or length of the article or interview is measured and the equivalent advertising value is calculated. For example, your company is mentioned in a newspaper article, the AVE is the amount you would have had to pay to advertise in that space. Many PR professionals show this AVE as the value they have generated in their monthly client reports.

Unfortunately this is not a very reliable way to communicate media outputs. It is purely a quantitative metric. It provides no insight into the quality of content and whether an organisation’s key messages were communicated. As part of the ECCO International Communication network, we are seeing more and more of our international colleagues totally doing away with AVE measurements because it is not a credible way to illustrate media value created.

Understanding the quality of media coverage, be it online, print or broadcast portrays a very different picture than the mere AVE value. It gives an organisation insight into what messages the target audiences receive and enables communication teams to adjust and improve their business’ communication strategies.

Our core focus at Reputation Matters is to provide reputation research support for the PR and communication industry, and we have developed a media analysis support service using the Barcelona Principles* as a base. These principles are a set of seven guidelines for measuring and evaluating communication; established and supported by the PR industry. The principles were agreed upon in 2010 and were updated this year to the Barcelona Principles 2.0 in Stockholm at a conference arranged by the International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC) and its partners.

The updated principles state that the measurement of media resulting from PR initiatives, overall clip counts and general impressions are generally meaningless.  The principles underline that AVEs do not measure the value of PR and do not inform future activity; they measure the cost of media space or time and are rejected as a concept to value communication, media content, earned media and PR.

Instead, media measurement, whether in traditional or online channels, should account for impressions among the stakeholder or target audience; quality of the media coverage, including tone, credibility and relevance of the medium to the stakeholders; message delivery; inclusion of a third party or company spokesperson; importance as relevant to the medium; and sentiment, be it negative, positive or neutral.

The new guidelines afford the industry and profession the opportunity to be more comparable than ever before. It allows us to use the same units of measurement across media types including basic qualitative measurement units and ultimately shift thinking from perception to reputation. This evolution brings about new rules of engagement by providing an innovative framework to the measurement landscape.

For more information on Reputation Matters and our in-depth media quality analysis, please visit www.reputationmatters.co.za or call 021 790 0208. Reputation Matters is also on Facebookwww.facebook.com/yourreputationmatters and Twitter @ReputationIsKey.

* http://amecorg.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Barcelona-Principles-2.pdf

Book: The Business Tango - Embracing Entrepreneurship & Intrapreneurship, Anna Shilina

 

Anna is a lovely dynamic young lady. I think her idea of approaching key successful business owners in South Africa to get their insights into intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship is brilliant. Getting insights from people such as Margaret Hirsch, DJ Fresh and Michael Jordaan’s take on success and failure and learning from fellow business owners what has worked for them and learning from their lessons is really great. There are pearls of wisdom throughout the book as you are learning from the best. This book relates to business owners as well as to employees. I must admit that I was thrilled to contribute to the book from a communication management point of view.

I was really quite impressed that Blair Singer did the foreword for her. Something that Anna mentions early on in the book is to make notes in a book so that you can refer back to key areas that you found pertinent. I too have always been quite reluctant to do this and have pretty much resorted to Post-It notes (probably because our team has a shared library). However,  Anna shares that if you were given a choice between a book with no notes in it and a book that Albert Einstein read and made notes in, which one would you be most likely to read?

 

This book looks at different business challenges, with solutions and advice from different business experts. I quick, easy and enjoyable read.

Reputation experts to convene in Cape Town

I am hugely excited about the upcoming reputation management conference that we are hosting in Cape Town on Friday, 06 November 2015. It's definitely not going to be your average conference!

Below is a media release that we sent out earlier this week:

Caption (Images from left): Huma Gruaz from Alpaytac – USA, Mzilikazi Wa Afrika from the Sunday Times, and Norbert Ofmański from Onboard – Poland are some of the stellar reputation experts to participate at the Reputation Conference 2015 taking place on 06 November in Cape Town.

Business owners are in for a treat as distinguished local and international reputation experts will head to Cape Town for reputation management company, Reputation Matters’ 2015 Reputation Conference. The one-day exclusive seminar taking place on Friday, 06 November 2015 at the Protea Hotel Fire & Ice Cape Town will be a melting pot of thoughts, ideas and best practices relating to building solid business reputations.

Business executives are urged to attend the conference which will highlight the fundamentals when it comes to an organisation’s reputation. The stellar line-up of fascinating speakers will take delegates through their paces on what to look out for and what the future holds for reputation management.

Managing Director of Reputation Matters, Regine le Roux, says, “How an organisation operates at all levels and in all business functions ultimately contributes or breaks down its reputation. Local experts as well as guest speakers from the United States of America (USA), Poland, Germany and Australia will provide insight on numerous aspects of reputation management.”

Multiple award-winning public relations and marketing executive, Huma Gruaz, founder of Alpaytac communication agency in the USA, is one speaker not to miss. With 20 years of experience under her belt, Gruaz has turned Alpaytac into one of the most cutting edge integrated communication agencies in the USA. Using an integrated traditional/social media approach to PR, Gruaz is helping leading companies in the U.S. and across the globe build their brands and manage their reputations with success. In 2010, she was selected as Brand Marketer of the Year by PRNews and in 2014 she was recognised as one of PR News’ top women in the U.S. Most recently, Alpaytac has been named a finalist for the PRNews 2015 Small Agency of the Year award.

Also speaking in the external communication realm is celebrated South African journalist, Mzilikazi Wa Afrika. The award winning investigative reporter at the Sunday Times and will take attendees through ethical journalism and the media in general. In 2014 he published his memoir, Nothing Left to Steal, after he was arrested in 2010 when an article he co-wrote exposed the national police commissioner.

Social media is another aspect that influences an organisation’s reputation. All the way from Poland, Norbert Ofmański will discuss this platform and how to manage its processes when it comes to reputation management. Ofmański is the Managing Director of one of the largest public relations firms in Poland, Onboard. With over 20 years’ experience in the field, he is also an author of many public relations publications.

“We encourage all businesses who value their reputation or want to build on it, to attend the 2015 Reputation Conference – a platform where ideas will be put into context and become reality,” concludes le Roux.

The event is endorsed by the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA), and members will receive CPD points for attending.

Other speakers for the day include: Andrew Boraine, CEO of the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership (WCEDP); Mothobi Seseli, CEO of Argon Asset Management; Prof Ronel Rensburg, Head of the Communication Division at the University of Pretoria; Nicole Webb, Founder and Director of Impact Communications in Australia and Lutz Cleffmann from ECCO International Communication Network in Düsseldorf, Germany.

To register, please click here.

For more information on the conference, please email conference@reputationmatters.co.za. Alternatively visit www.reputationmatters.co.za or call 021 790 0208. Reputation Matters is also on Facebook www.facebook.com/yourreputationmatters and Twitter @ReputationIsKey.

World-class reputation conference to be held in Cape Town

We are very excited about the reputation management conference that we are hosting in Cape Town on Friday, 06 November 2015.  Have you booked your seat yet?

Here's a media release with more information:

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” – Warren Buffett.

Reputation management company, Reputation Matters will host a riveting one-day conference on the nuts and bolts of building a positive reputation on Friday, 06 November 2015 at the Protea Hotel Fire & Ice in Cape Town. Local and international speakers including Andrew Boraine, CEO of the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership (WCEDP) will grapple with the key building blocks associated with reputable organisations.

Just as you are inseparable from your shadow, so an organisation cannot be severed from its reputation.  An organisation’s reputation precedes success or failure.

Why is reputation such a powerful force? Regine le Roux, Managing Director at Reputation Matters says, “Understanding reputation is a strategic imperative; it is something which is influenced by every dimension and activity of an organisation. It's a virtuous circle: A positive, strong reputation attracts and keeps top employees. Having the right team on board helps you to improve your service or product offering, which helps you to attract the right kind of attention. As a result, people will invest in your offering and ultimately you will be able to see how a good reputation positively impacts your bottom line.”

So how does one build and maintain a solid reputation? “It helps to get advice from the experts,” smiles le Roux, which is why we're hosting our inaugural reputation management conference on 06 November 2015 in Cape Town.”

Featuring influential speakers from South Africa and around the globe, the conference will walk attendees through the key elements of building and fostering a reputation. Best practices and case studies shared will equip attendees with a basic understanding and exciting ideas that they can customise for their particular business case. As le Roux puts it, “With our tools, team and track record, we can help companies to take their reputations to the next level.”

World-renowned motivational speaker Braam Malherbe will be the master of ceremonies for the day and promises to inspire attendees with his infectious energy and passion.

“A company’s reputation can be tarnished in seconds, and we invite all businesses to come and share in the wealth of knowledge speakers have to offer,” concludes le Roux.

The fantastic speaker line-up includes: Andrew Boraine, CEO of the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership (WCEDP); Mothobi Seseli, CEO of Argon Asset Management; Mzilikazi Wa Afrika, journalist at the Sunday Times; Prof Ronel Rensburg, Head of the Communication Division at the University of Pretoria; Huma Gruaz, Founder and CEO of Alpaytac Communication in the USA; Nicole Webb, Founder and Director of Impact Communications in Australia; Lutz Cleffmann from ECCO International Communication Network in Düsseldorf, Germany and; Norbert Ofmanski, Managing Director at Onboard Communication Agency in Poland.

For more information on the conference, please email: conference@reputationmatters.co.za.

Early bird bookings close at the end of September.

For more info on managing and investing in your reputation, visit www.reputationmatters.co.za or call 021 790 0208. Reputation Matters is also on Facebook www.facebook.com/yourreputationmatters and Twitter @ReputationIsKey.

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Issued by Reputation Matters

Media contact:

(Jhb) 011 317 3861 | (Cpt) 021 790 0208 | (Mobile) 083 302 1528

conference@reputationmatters.co.za

Book: Your Face Puzzle - Physiognomy simplified, Martie Maré

This is a fascinating book! I happened to hear an interview on the radio with the author, Martie Maré, one evening while I was driving home. The subject matter intrigued me; I had never heard about Physiognomy before. What it means is the relationship between facial features and your personality. F A S C I N A T I  N G! 

The book describes this relationship and what the personality traits are that are associated with different facial features. It's not a science, and I am aware that there are a lot of opinions out there about the subject. It is nonetheless very interesting and has made me a lot more aware of potential personality types when meeting people. It is important not to generalise, and it is important that the context of the whole face and its features are looked at as a whole when analysing it and the personality. 

What I also found to be very interesting is that plastic surgery can impact and change a person's personality; not that I have any intention of getting tucked and snipped, it was interesting to read that something which one thinks is a small facial change could have a dramatic impact on one's personality. Some companies use Physiognomy as part of their recruitment process, this is an interesting take and possibly something to consider.

Have you saved the date for the reputation conference in November?

Be sure not to miss out on the reputation conference of the year.
Local and international reputation experts who will be sharing their knowledge include:

• Andrew Borraine | Western Cape Economic Development Partnership (WCEDP)
• Mothobi Seseli | Argon Asset Management
• Mzilikazi Wa Afrika | Sunday Times
• Prof Ronel Rensburg | University of Pretoria
• Huma Gruaz | Alpaytac - USA
• Nicole Webb | Impact Communication - Australia
• Lutz Cleffmann | ECCO-Düsseldorf - Germany
• Norbert Ofmanski | Onboard - Poland

The MC for the day will be renowned motivational speaker Braam Malherbe.

Click here to reserve your seat. 

For any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us on: conference@reputationmatters.co.za | 021 790 0208 

Book: Leadership and Self-Deception, The Arbinger Institute

This is a book that needs to be on everybody’s reading list, regardless of your position in a company. If anything it actually helped me a lot on a personal level. Instead of blaming and finding fault with others, it helps you to see things from a different perspective and to look for solutions. It’s written as a story, so not a typical business book. I read it fairly quickly. 

On Friday I attended a Women in Leadership seminar presented by Symphonia Leadership Development. One of the speakers, Dr Martie recalled a conversation with one of her professors, who had said to her that one should select the five books that have made a profound impact on your life and read them until they read you. This book, Leadership and Self-Deception, is one of those five books that I would put on that list, and re-read again and again. It is a book that I am encouraging my team to read.

Highly recommendable: 10/10