About MediaMiser Company Information Careers Executive Bios Products MediaMiser Enterprise Media Content Turnkey Management Media Analysis Social Media Support/Services Support Information Solutions/Consulting Customization News/Events Media Releases Events Resource Center Article Archive PR Glossary MediaMiser Blog Contact Us		MediaMiser Home > Resource Center > Article Archive > Influencing Change     Influencing Change Through Media Analysis By Brett Serjeantson, MediaMiser Ltd. Many public relations (PR) specialists feel they don't get the respect they deserve within the corporate world. When senior management seeks advice from the PR department, it's usually for coaching on how to talk to the media, or what quote to give a reporter. In many cases there is no direct interaction by PR professionals and senior management at all. Many quotes that appear in news releases are simply made up by the PR department and rubber-stamped by senior management. For these reasons and more, PR practitioners are often viewed by senior executives as spin doctors or simple news release writers – soft salespersons for corporate, government, and non-governmental organizations. The truth is, many executives don't understand the nuances of a PR professional's job. The question is: How can PR professionals reverse this trend? How can they change the way senior management views their role and, and as a result, increase their value and the value of the organization? The answer lies in changing the way PR world approaches its profession. We live in a world where information is as valuable as manufactured goods. Tools such as customer relationship management systems (CRMs) and the Internet are perfect examples of this. Organizations are constantly trying to get an edge on the competition, or trying to improve productivity by collecting and disseminating information effectively. Yet many PR professionals still view media analysis as simply gathering newspaper clippings, measuring them with an agate ruler, and applying an inflated ad value to them to justify their existence. And most PR professionals don't even go that far because it is too time-consuming. That said, because of the shortage of information intelligence and accurate reporting by PR professionals, there is a communication disconnect with senior management. Furthermore, the lack of truly valuable information lessens the importance of PR professionals to senior executives. To combat this, PR needs to get sophisticated. Ironically, PR professionals are supposed to be the best communicators in any organization. But because they often can't accurately gauge what they do, they can't explain their roles to senior management. Now that I have identified the problem, how do I communicate with senior management? Simply put, in charts and graphs: the language of those who make the decisions and control the money flow. However, the charts and graphs need to tell a story and the information must be actionable, or else it's meaningless. This demonstrates ROI. It brings greater accountability to those who are most accountable within the organization. It makes them look good, and subsequently makes you look good. You become indispensable, because you are providing real value. Where do you get this intelligence to build charts and graphs? News coverage – both print and broadcast - can be bought, and in some cases, accessed for free on-line. By using this information in combination with your own business logic and intelligence, you can provide insight to trends, and better gauge the effectiveness of your campaigns. In addition, with the emergence of blogs the role of the PR professional should becomes that much more important. Brand is extremely important to all organizations, and the brand must be properly used and promoted. If someone is abusing the brand in a blog or a forum, it's important that it is identified. This is also where the PR professional must take a leadership position. Now that you shored up your own credibility, what's next? It's time to shore up other departments with the information you've gathered and compiled. Help out the marketing department by providing competitive analysis and ensuring brand integrity. Help out the sales department by identifying leads and providing real life success stories and third-party endorsement from respected industry analysts. You can even cross-reference your intelligence with other departments' intelligence to get even more out of your information, which will make you even more valuable within your organization. Information has always been the key to success in business. PR must realize this or risk being further marginalized.
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