On Measurement
Dialogue Diagnostics
Measurement and accountability are more important than ever for organisations which have seen fundamental changes in the way they communicate and interact with stakeholders. A corporate monologue now can easily – indeed, must — become a dialogue or a debate and establishing engagement that genuinely motivates stakeholders is far more important than counting impressions.
A number of studies indicate that intangible assets are significantly more important than pure financial considerations in increasing the overall tangible value – i.e. market capitalisation — of listed firms, or independent valuation of unlisted companies.
These fundamental changes have substantially altered how forward-looking companies are measuring results and assessing performance. While the availability of data is greater today than ever, the challenge of finding valuable insights amongst all the noise is significant. Measurement must represent a continuous source of diagnostic information that allows companies and brands to dynamically fine-tune strategy and programmes to match changing conditions, challenges and opportunities.
WATATAWA’s measurement commitment includes partnering with BNP PARIBAS Business Assets Valuation to make assessments covering the value of intangible assets including reputation & brands, R&D, software, leadership and talent, customer databases, stakeholder relations, trademarks, patents, copyright, and design.
Business Assets Valuation has particular relevance for clients including: Organisations seeking to understand the strength of their intangible assets in the eyes of stakeholders and in seeking to enhance overall reputation; sellers and buyers in M&A, Private & Venture Capital, IPO, MBO and similar transactions who want to get the best out of negotiating the premium to book value; companies looking at structured finance transactions requiring the securitisation of intangible assets like brands and patents or the use of intangibles as debt collaterals; financial executives wishing to comply with financial reporting requirements set by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB); and organisations seeking to optimize tax liabilities through efficient corporate structuring and economic transfer pricing, licensing & royalty rates.
Analysing Information Overload
We also apply web analytics to monitor where a client’s messages are being heard and what response those messages are creating. The rationale is simple: There is no point encouraging and assisting clients to tap into communications technologies if we are not gathering the information and feedback to make it worthwhile.
The key issue is relevance. In a maelstrom of information, stakeholders will only focus on what matters to them. More importantly, organisations not only need to know the viewership or readership of their messages—they need to measure and understand the reaction to what is being seen or read.
We have specialist resources to track traditional and social media channels—not just for share of voice but for reaction and sentiment. The analytics give us a picture of the value and impact of marketing communications efforts and of how stakeholders are responding.
We can evaluate reactions, measure shifting perceptions, assess how reputation is changing within demographic groups.
And while the precision of the analytics is vital, it is how we help an organisation respond and consistently recalibrate its messaging which creates the tangible impact on stakeholders. We take the information and apply experience and intuition to loop in the feedback and ensure that a client’s conversations and stakeholder engagement strategies are compelling; and that messages evolve or are adapted in response to what we learn.