Over the last year, I’ve become something of a measuring and evaluating advocate. I see examples everywhere. It all started with a conversation I had with Andrew Bruce Smith who delivers CIPR’s Measuring and Evaluating in PR training. He recommended the book How To Measure Anything by Douglas Hubbard which did exactly what Andrew promised, and changed my life.

As a former journalist, I’m cynical about everything and I think a lot of former journalists shun PR measurement because it isn’t perfect. Our previous careers taught us to look down on surveys and data, which were often used to manipulate audiences and spin stories. Our cynicism kicks in and we dismiss the idea entirely.

What I’ve come to realise, thanks to Bruce Smith’s expertise and Hubbard’s book, is that PR measurement doesn’t have to be perfect. It only has to be better than the status quo. And no, I don’t mean the band.

Data, data, data

Brit Pop darling Oasis announced a comeback tour last Tuesday (27 August) morning. While Ticketmaster may be getting less than desirable PR for their dynamic pricing, the PR data touchpoints for the tickets are to be applauded.

After the announcement, a pre-sale ballot which allowed lucky fans to beat the queue and buy their tickets a full 24 hours before the general sale, was launched.

To enter the pre-sale ballot, (which I did), you had to provide your name, email address, phone number and select your preferred venue. Two days later, the band announced three additional dates. It was then my PR measurement instincts kicked in and I realised what they’d done.

Even a band as amazing as Oasis, who’ve been away for 15 years, can’t be sure how many people would actually part with their cash and turn out to see them at stadium shows next summer. And no-one wants the embarrassment of struggling to sell out venues or playing to empty seats.

So rather than announcing all the dates at once, they announced a handful and put in an extra step to test the level of interest. The data captured from that extra step could help decide on whether to announce more dates.

Location, location, location

By asking fans to choose a location in the ballot, data on venue popularity could be collected, while country codes from mobile numbers could help plan the as yet unannounced European tour dates. It might be possible to match some ballot entrants to existing mailing list subscribers or those who’ve previously bought something from the online store. So fans could then be graded, from the most committed to more casual.

This was all done ahead of the general ticket sale on Saturday, giving fans time to make plans and ensuring only one ticket sale. Without the ballot, Oasis would have been in the dark about how many people wanted to see them until Saturday morning. Of course, they could have tracked social media mentions or vague ‘sentiment’ analysis but taking that step of committing my mobile number is a much more valuable signal. They’ll also have been able to track how long it took people to join the ballot after it had been announced. There are indicators everywhere if you know where to look.

Mad for it?

None of this is a perfect science but it can still be extremely valuable. It’s all about reducing uncertainty in decision making. The key, as Bruce Smith and Hubbard explain so well, is to be very clear about what it is you want people to do, and examine the entire journey for measurement opportunities.

When this is done well, customers see it as a welcome opportunity and eagerly take part. It gives the business mountains of rich, valuable data so it can do more of what works, with certainty. Measuring the intangibles is absolutely possible and while Liam and Noel get their heads round just how much people love them, I hope Ticketmaster might learn a thing or two from the criticism coming their way.