AI is a hot topic at the moment. So, having recently attended PR Week’s Measurement Conference in London, we thought we’d share some insights into the role AI currently plays when it comes to PR metrics and strategy, and what might be to come…
Bringing together a variety of comms professionals, including household names such as Samsung, Merlin Entertainments and Burger King, through to charities and Government bodies, the conference provided an up-to-date understanding of the measurement landscape, with break-out sessions to explore best-practice in creating business impact with metrics. And as expected, we talked a lot about AI and where we can be utilising it.
Media consumption is changing rapidly and knowing what to focus on to produce results that speak to the c-suite and secure budgets is more essential than ever. However, we also know that resources can be limited, both time and money, so how do we get the best bang for our buck?
Developing strategies
Most people have trialled using ChatGPT*, but what for? Idea generation, content support and gathering information are at the top of the list – and this is a good start. It’s important to remember however, that this shouldn’t be “job done” when it comes to writing or developing strategies. As professionals, we should take this information as inspiration – an initial brainstorm if you will – and work with the information to develop it, in line with company brand guidelines, messaging and campaign and/or objectives.
Media monitoring
Increasingly, media monitoring companies are working with AI to develop their offerings and give customers more immediate and comprehensive information regarding mentions and social listening. This gives us the competitive advantage, as it means we can track and monitor what is being said, as it is being said or published. And, particularly with the rise of disinformation and misinformation, brands can take the proactive approach for requesting copy to be amended or adding a corporate comment, where necessary.
AI also works well with media monitoring to deliver regular briefings to clients, managers, etc. Set up by you and on the basis required (daily, weekly, monthly), with all of the information required. Including press cuttings, summaries and highlights, you can work with the AI to present the information collated in the platform in a branded report for your seniors. Result!
Audience insights
If we dig a bit deeper, AI is also being used by more advanced organisations to delve deeper into online content (note, it can’t read or process anything offline unless it is fed in manually) to find out what is delivering value for your brand. One company offering this service is Metricomm, who set up and track audience-based insights to show the real value of PR and media coverage. Results are delivered on a bespoke or regular basis, identifying the size of audience most likely to have found, read and been influenced by online media coverage about your brand, products/services, themes, issues, competitors and sector.
Imagine what you could do with this information!
The common theme interweaved into most discussions is that AI isn’t so great (currently) at story telling, analysis or the “so what?” part of our role. So, whilst AI might be able to collate and deliver results, information and data in real-time, it doesn’t have our human expertise to interpret this data for our specific clients or sectors. Whilst the initial information is good or might save some time, we still need to consider:
- What does the information mean to my business?
- What should we do as a result of this?
- Why are we seeing spike(s) here?
- What about other markets?
- What else is happening in the world that has an impact on this?
…and then act on it!
It’s fair to say we’re just at the beginning of integrating AI into PR campaigns and measurement. As the technology develops, along with its accessibility, we will be able to offer even deeper analysis, reasoning and insight for our campaigns and future planning.
If you’d like to speak to one of our fabulous experts about an upcoming campaign or how to develop your marketing and communications, please get in touch via hello@adpr.co.uk or request a call back.
*Please note, the free version has information stored up until January 2021, so it’s not completely up to date, and it does store your information. So do not share any confidential information or insights that could give away your corporate identity or advantage.