PR is no longer just about communicating, it's about extracting

The PR landscape has shifted dramatically over the past five years. Marketing and communications departments are merging, media brag books have been replaced with daily monitoring, and owned channels demand daily, if not hourly content to be created, published and moderated. But if our recent work is anything to go by, we just might be smack bang in the middle of another resurgence for the industry as more businesses compete to take ownership of their data.

In recent months, Elevate has been privy to a number of boardroom conversations with executives who want to get cut through in the media and with stakeholders. Increasingly, businesses are realising that they need to do more than promote a new appointment or advise on top tips. They need to demonstrate that they know more about the market than their competitors and this is their competitive edge. In turn, by sharing these insights, they are seen to be the authority on the subject while providing value to stakeholders and a sense of genuine competition to other industry players.

How are they demonstrating all this? By owning the research and the data

It used to be that only the big players could afford the costly qualitative and quantitative research from the powerhouses of Nielson or Roy Morgan, but as with every other industry in the commercial landscape, affordable new options have become more accessible making it easier for brands to own the research and data. It means you don’t have to rely on Google or industry bodies for your intel.

Traditionally, businesses have collated their intelligence from external sources to help them make decisions on products, services, pricing, locations, motivations and much more. This is essential to qualifying an idea of course but no one can quite tell you what your customer wants more than your customer can. And when it comes to business growth, scalability, diversifying or change management, it's your customers that matter most.

Perks of owning your own data and research

Rather than taking statistics from other sources, here’s what you can accomplish with your own data and research:

1. You get to control the parameters – you ask the exact questions you need answers to and you choose the sample size and demographics that mean the most to your organisation.
2. You own that piece of intelligence and should receive the attribution any time it is quoted in media or by your industry. This helps to further build your credibility as a leader in your space.
3. You can use it to drive traffic to your website or landing page. Offer a free download or invitation to the launch event with an opt-in field. By receiving the email address of interested individuals, you have an opportunity to stay in touch with them with further related content.

Our research provider of choice in Queensland is Queensland University of Technology’s business school. The quality and depth of insight this team can extract and evaluate is incredible, and to be honest, jaw-dropping! The findings for one of our clients recently changed the direction of our anticipated approach and subsequently the entire communication strategy that ensued. Without this brand-specific insight garnered through the research phase, the campaign just would not have achieved its intended purpose as effectively. 

Cost wise, research projects are coming in at a similar rate to a media buying campaign, but instead of telling the stakeholder what you want them to know, a research project listens to what the stakeholder wants and provides the roadmap to giving it to them.

A solid research project should take 3-6 months from start to finish. Contact Elevate today to get started on your New Year report and own not only your data, but the media spotlight as well.