Measurement Masterclass

More than 80 communications professionals from Canberra and across Australia joined a Measurement Masterclass last month.

Victor Zalakos (Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries), Deb Camden (The Communication Dividend), Garrett Tyler-Parker (Visit Canberra) and Ngaire Crawford (iSentia) joined IABC Canberra’s President, Melanie Gibbons, to discuss:

  • Selecting the best metrics that support your strategy
  • How to embed a culture of measurement
  • IABC’s global standard for measurement, and
  • The latest developments in measurement & evaluation.

When asked “why measurement and evaluation was important” Victor was succinct in his response.

“Why do things that don’t matter,” he said.

“How do you know this is going to work? What is the evidence you are going to come back with? That’s how business leaders start listening to communications people.”

Deb shared a few examples of case studies of ‘measurement and evaluation’ done well including that of UNICEF.

“In 2014, they underwent a massive recalibration of their comms strategy … they very cleverly embraced measurement and evaluation in the 190 countries they operate in,” she said.

“I would implore our attendees to google global communication campaign.”

Ngaire shared a piece of work she was currently working on with Sport New Zealand which was using research to drive stakeholder engagement and behaviour change.

“The stakeholder was the New Zealand media,” she said.

“We went about creating a set of benchmarks and expectations around how the media report on women in sports news.

“We’re aiming to track impact of policy interventions to better drive participation in sport for women and young girls.”

Garrett spoke of engaging a wide array of stakeholders form the beginning of a project to get them interested in following the findings.

“The more people you can have in a kick-off meeting … the end result is significantly more worthwhile,” he said.

“When the final measurement report only sits with two people in the marketing team, that means another division doesn’t get to see how the brand is talked about or how it is perceived.”

Deb also provided some sage advice on developing communication strategies when the organisation practitioners work in don’t have documented business strategies.

“You go looking for it and have the conversations to unpack it,” she said.

“If that doesn’t reveal guidance, its purpose, vision, mission and values are useful places to start in absence of a strategy.”

Mel summed the purpose of the session up by concluding with, “at the end of the day, we are accountable to an organisation to show a return on investment so measurement and evaluation is not a nice to have but rather a must have”.

To watch a recording of the Measurement Masterclass visit, click here.

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