A strategic approach to public relations
Too many companies worldwide still don’t communicate on a well-structured strategic basis. They start PR activities quite spontaneously whenever there is a new product or – even worse – whenever the boss remarks that it’s about time he saw his own name in a newspaper. But there is so much long-term potential in PR, if only a strategic concept outlines the objectives, the messages and the possible activities, based on a well-planned schedule. It’s an often overlooked fact: companies do need a content strategy. This is where big data may come into play.
Big data PR as part of the storytelling concept
Where should all the content come from that forms the basis of a strategic communications concept nowadays? Which stories can modern companies tell? One of the most important sources is big data. As a by-product of advanced digitalisation, there are huge amounts of data generated by nearly all economic processes. Whether it’s communication with the customer, sales figures or market research: companies nowadays have very detailed knowledge that is suitable for use in PR – if some important rules are observed.
Big data is rational – but still needs creativity
If you want to unlock the power of your data, it starts with a creative idea. Usually, you need some distance from your core business in order to discover which of your data constitutes a topic that is relevant to the public agenda. That’s why the first impulse often comes from an agency that has experience in successfully developing corporate stories. They need a detailed impression of the available information and will then draft a plan that will seamlessly integrate into the strategic concept mentioned. And if there isn’t one, a good agency will even help you put one together – but that’s another story.
Fixed routines are indispensable
How can you extract a good story from your data in practice?
- After the briefing, the company’s data mining department will deliver large Excel sheets.
- The legal department, of course, has to give the green light that all the data are correctly anonymised and suitable for distribution.
- Then, like a truffle pig, the PR guys will go through the raw data and identify surprising or otherwise relevant facts.
- Once they have drafted the facts and the messages, corporate governance has to approve the campaign and then: go for it!
Talk about the market and be perceived as a trustworthy expert
When companies make statements about market developments and customers’ needs, they are almost automatically perceived as experts, or even as market leaders. This is the mechanism used by the German IPRN agency TDUB for its client, mobile service provider mobilcom-debitel, part of the freenet group and the biggest player behind the three network operators. For technical services and financial accounting purposes, mobilcom-debitel keeps records of all its customers’ telecommunications usage. This enabled them to analyse a seven-digit number of mobile phone contracts – strictly anonymised, of course, and legally approved.
Highly relevant data for the media
If you can evaluate the behaviour of millions of people and draw meaningful conclusions from it, the results are highly relevant for journalists. mobilcom-debitel provides reliable facts on smartphone use in Germany, categorised by gender, age, device, region and much more. How long does an average phone call last? Do young people really download more data? Which city has the highest share of iPhone users? With this campaign, mobilcom-debitel achieved a media reach of 26 million in print newspapers and business magazines and 116 million online page impressions over the last two years. That includes the first-ever infographic printed as the lead story on the front page of Berlin’s biggest daily newspaper.
Noticeable brand effects through big data
In the end, mobilcom-debitel was able to establish an additional PR channel beyond mere tariff product information. They managed to convey their brand value “independent help for consumers” to a large part of the German consumer media. As a reward for the effort, this big-data PR project by mobilcom-debitel and TDUB was selected for the shortlist of the renowned German PR Report Award 2019. And – additionally – we were nominated for the shortlist of the European Excellence Award.
International perspectives: excellent
For companies that operate globally, big data can offer enormous potential for strategic communications. These companies can break down their global content into local campaigns and thus appear as a trustworthy and relevant brand. What is more entertaining than examining prejudices and making international comparisons of human behaviour? If you need some inspiration for setting up a big data PR campaign, don’t hesitate to get in touch with your local IPRN partner agency.
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This is the long version of an article by Karsten Hoppe and Tilo Timmermann, Managing Directors of TDUB Communications Consultancy, first published on the blog of our International PR Agencies Network IPRN.
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