Girl power!

It’s International Women’s Day tomorrow (8 March), which prompted my thinking into girl power; less Spice Girls, more women in PR.

Our industry of PR is actually dominated by women. Last year’s PRCA census revealed the gender split as 63% women 37% men, a stat that’s reflected in our team - with our chairman Colin holding the enviable (or unenviable position) as the only male member! Our current recruitment drive has echoed this discrepancy, with the majority of applicants applying for an account executive position being female.

So why this bias?  Is it because women are, on the whole, better communicators – as we are more discussion oriented?  Or is it thanks to our multi-tasking and time management skills?  Or is it because we are more sensitive? I’m not so sure. 

When I studied for a degree in PR (at Leeds Metropolitan University), admittedly it was a while ago, the course was mostly men.  And if I can cast my mind back that far, I don’t remember them struggling with presentations or meeting deadlines, and indeed most have now gone on to hold senior positions. 

Which rather annoyingly seems to be where the inequality lies – most senior roles within agencies and in-house teams are still more likely to be held by men.  The PRCA census reported a 2:1 ratio of men to women in board positions.  Our board contradicts this ratio, (although our most senior figure is male) but I can see that we are a minority, when I look at some of our clients or fellow agencies. 

Many would argue that the lack of female representation in senior management is partly due to the fact that women still tend to be the key child carers and take career breaks as they start to have children. As a result, they either leave the profession or aren’t able to make continued development.  I’m in no doubt that this can be a factor, but in today’s world it certainly shouldn’t be a barrier. 

Sadly, it’s not just inequality at senior levels either.  The CIPR’s ‘State of the Profession’  survey (published February 2014) also revealed an average gender pay gap of over £12,000 in favour of men.  The results also exposed that from Account Manager/Press Officer level and above – men, on average, are being paid more than women, even when doing the same job.

So, perhaps as an industry we should take note of Sweden’s extensive welfare system which makes it easier for both sexes to balance work and family life.  The country ranks as one of the most gender-egalitarian countries, based on a firm belief that men and women should share power and influence equally.  How refreshing!

Sam Kandiyali

Director

(Image used from http://www.internationalwomensday.com/) 

What’s PR for and how can we tell if it’s working?

This question is more pertinent than ever when organisations of almost every kind are under pressure to perform at their highest despite the economic climate.

Here’s how I see it.

PR strategy must contribute to organisational success.

Except it’s not all that simple. Measuring the value of PR has been a bugbear for our industry, well, forever really.

In the past, the weight of the cuttings book seemed a fair indicator of a campaign that had done well, and this ‘volume’ metric evolved into the pseudo-science of AVEs (Advertising Value Equivalent) in which we argued that the value of each piece of ‘free’ editorial was worth one/three/name-your-figure times the price of the media space if it had been purchased for an advert.

More sophisticated ways of measuring the quality of coverage, however, are a step forward. By tracking our success in reaching specific audiences with key messages designed to influence the way we view the organisation, we can begin to assess the success of a campaign. Balancing qualitative and quantitative measures is important. But these are still ‘outputs’ – what we need to try and do is measure ‘outcomes’. Are we having the intended affect? Are we contributing to a change in opinion or behavior?

The great and the good of the international PR community, including the CIPR, got their heads together in 2010 and came up with seven key factors which should shape best practice. These are known as the Barcelona Principles:

1. Importance of goal setting and measurement

2. Measuring the effect on outcomes is preferred to measuring outputs

3. Effect on business results can and should be measured where possible

4. Media measurement requires quantity and quality

5. AVEs are not the value of public relations

6. Social media can and should be measured

7. Transparency and replicability are paramount to sound measurement

Success starts with excellent planning and strategy. A wise and successful businessman I know, Stewart Barnes, explained that “Strategy is doing the right things. Tactics are doing things right.” True of business planning, true of PR planning too. There’s little point in delivering an amazing PR campaign (doing tactics really well) if it doesn’t meet the objectives of the client.

So here’s my top seven, the Bryars’ Principles of PR planning and measurement:

1. Understand as much as you can about what success means for each client

2. Create a strategy that will support the journey to success

3. Be specific

4. Execute your plans and tactics brilliantly

5. Stay focused on outcomes

6. Don’t get lost in tools – measurement is a discipline, not a single metric

7. PR rarely functions in isolation – own your part, share the success

What’s your version?

Sarah Bryars

Chief Executive