But, we do not live in a PR utopia.

Some would say what we’re living is actually closer to a Mad Max (《疯狂的麦克斯》, 1979 年澳大利亚的一部动作/冒险电影) scenario. By adding a measure of objectivity to PR (通过增加一个对 PR 的客观衡量), ‘big data’ may get us that much closer to the ideal. It’s been a long time coming (那将是一个漫长的过程).

The confounding (混杂) artistry behind PR

In today’s world of tight budgets (预算紧张) and understaffed (人员不足的) publications, pitching stories to journalists can seem on par with (与...同等水平) selling ice cream trucks to Siberians(西伯利亚人). Journalists are tired of picking through hundreds of ill-conceived (不明智的, 构思很差的) pitches to find information that is actually useful. In order to pass scrutiny (通过审查), stories must immediately display value to a publication.

Conversely (相反), trends in the news are changing all the time. Every publication has its own way of deciding what to write and report about. It takes dozens of hours of research to find the publications that might write about your brand (找到可能愿意写你们品牌的出版物需要花数十小时的调研). Establishing relationships with reporters, writing pitches that work, following up and building on existing relationships is another matter altogether. That’s not to mention the legwork (跑腿活儿, 未出搜集情况的工作) involved with sifting through (筛选) other types of media, from blogs to social, to decide where your efforts will have the greatest impact.

No wonder businesses are investing so much in public relations (怪不得企业会在 RP 上投资那么多钱).

By 2014, companies in the United States will be spending $4.4 billion on PR, private equity firm (私人股权公司) Veronis Suhler Stevenson predicts. Between 2009-2014, spend on PR and social media together will reach $8 billion.

Even with that handsome (大方的) spend, companies are asking themselves: Where is all the money going?

Results depend on who you ask

Even with billions pouring into PR, businesses are hard-pressed (处于困境的) to find a way to quantify the effect of media coverage  (量化媒体报道的效果) on their bottom line. While your storm-tracking software (风暴追踪软件) may, for example, experience spikes (峰值) in coverage during hurricane season, how do you maintain sustainable (可持续的) coverage throughout the rest of the year, when the media isn’t focused on your industry? What is the normal or baseline level of coverage for your business? (对于您的业务来说, 什么是正常的或者基线的媒体报道水平?)

The answer varies, depending on who you’re talking to. There are no agreed-upon standards for quality (没有达成一致的质量标准).

Every PR agency measures results in its own way, whether through impressions, number of visitors referred from a media outlet (媒介产品), Tier-1 coverage or other metrics. For many years, companies have faced a frustrating lack of transparency (透明度) in understanding how PR affects their bottom lines.

The final frontier for big data

From farmers to manufacturers (从农民到生产厂家), a number of major industries have already adopted big data to provide quantitative insights into which activities affect profit, and how (许多主要行业已经采用大数据来提供关于哪些活动影响利润以及如何影响的定量见解). Perhaps due to the complexity of the media, PR has lagged (落后, 拖后腿).

But big data is finally inserting itself into the media. We’re already growing accustomed to tools such associal-media sentiment analysis andautomated content generation (我们已经变得习惯于使用像社交媒体情感分析、自动内容生成等工具). Next, big data will clear out the smoke and mirrors (雾里看花, 假象) of PR.

Here are just a few examples of how that will play out:

  • Instant access to a  compilation (汇集, 积累) of  industry and media trends (业界和媒体趋势) will give you the data you need in order to create targeted (有针对性的), newsworthy (有新闻价值的) pitches.
  • You’ll be able to see links between types of content, reader sentiment, reader demographics (人口统计资料) and types of coverage. As a result, you’ll figure out which kinds of stories are most interesting to which vertical, and focus on the verticals that are most important to your bottom line.
  • Because you’ll be able to measure how content travels through not only the media, but through social networks, you’ll be able to see the full impact of each of your pieces of content.
  • Big data metrics will help inform new, industry-wide standards of PR success, such as an impact score.
  • You’ll have the data you need in order to establish that long-missing connection between publicity and profit.

Measuring success

In today’s shifting media landscape (在今天的移动媒体领域), PR can result in more  head-scratching (令人头痛的) than hits. By adding metrics to the notoriously opaque art of communications (臭名昭著的不透明的交流艺术), businesses will finally have the clarity they need in order to streamline (使合理化) their PR efforts—and create on-point, specific and relevant ideas for the media to cover as part of this new and improved process.

Good ideas + good data = a win-win for companies and reporters.

Matt Allison is CEO and Co-Founder of TrendKite. Matt is passionate about providing a more intelligent way for people to digest news and about developing a more transparent way to understand its impact. Before TrendKite, he founded two other startups (创业公司) and worked for the Meltwater Group. His educational background includes a B.S. (Bachelor of Science, 理学学士) in Economics and a  minor (副修) in Engineering Entrepreneurship from Penn State’s Smeal College of Business. Follow him on Twitter @TrendKite