Enterprise Wide Media Evaluation and Measurement

Siemens, the leading global engineering company with a highly respected brand, provides innovative solutions to help tackle the world’s major challenges, including the shortage of natural resources, increasing environmental care, and a growing demand for healthcare, mobility and security. The corporate structure is complex and its business portfolio changes rapidly: more than 20 large independently managed businesses in the UK alone; 10 industry verticals; and a global headquarters located in Continental Europe.

Challenge

"It was impossible to gain a holistic view on the consistency of our brand messages across the company and to understand what was actually driving media coverage."
Anne Keogh, Head of Media Relations

Across all the UK businesses there are more than 50 in-house communications professionals working with multiple agencies, different target media and a wide range of stakeholders. Our client has a strong measurement culture; however as head office reporting requirements were completely different to the business units and as each business was unique, consistency across the community offered a real challenge.

Solution

"Previous attempts at a single solution had resulted in a complicated and expensive system. There was no business ownership and a one-size-fits-all approach was so high level as to not be of any practical use. Investor Dynamics worked with us, taking the time to consult with each of the UK businesses, ensuring corporate objectives were met and that the evaluation delivered value to everyone involved."
Anne Keogh, Head of Media Relations

Meeting Group Requirements

The Corporate Communications team required a media research service that is relevant to each UK business and their various stakeholders; that is able to be rolled out across the UK businesses; that maps back to corporate reporting indicators; and that is flexible enough to respond to changing corporate structures.

"The MediaDashboard™ service allows us to better quantify and demonstrate the impact of our media relations work to our key stakeholders. Taking a structured research approach means that better planning information is available such as journalist advocacy or effectiveness on key issues within target trade titles - areas that were once difficult to quantify. In addition having the Investor Dynamics team carry out the work not only ensures independent and consistent research but also frees up valuable time in order to act on the results."
Alison Emery, Head of Commmunications, Siemens Transportation Systems

Addressing Business Unit Needs

The Financial Services business unit worked alongside Investor Dynamics and the UK Head Office to develop a flexible research platform that demonstrates the consolidation communications performance of the client at Group level and that can easily be customised to meet the specific reporting and planning methodologies of each business unit.

"Unlike other approaches MediaDashboard™ has a simple and transparent research method, linked into our messaging and communications objectives, which accurately quantifies our 'gut feel' about the success of our campaigns - much to the delight of our FD! Additionally, the ability to integrate the diverse media evaluation needs of individual Siemens businesses into a single view is incredibly valuable."
Andrew Brown, Siemens Financial Services

Outcome

Investor Dynamics recommended MediaDashboard™, a simple, yet sophisticated, online portal that is accessible, via a secure login, anywhere with internet access, as the core delivery mechanism for the research. The project team developed the concept of group-wide media evaluation and measurement, defining key messages and reputation drivers, overall message structure, presentation and portal structure, research requirements around peers and competitors and methodology. The methodology and delivery was tested over a 6 month period.

The group function and participating businesses can now see all media activity across the UK enabling:

• Better management of brand messages
• A consistent view of how the various communications functions are performing against corporate objectives
• Improved reporting
• Enhanced internal collaboration in terms of sharing planning data and common information
• Individual businesses to raise awareness of their media activity across the group
• Flexibility to support evolving businesses and changing media environments
• Identification of overlaps and opportunities to collaborate

"MediaDashboard™ enables a wider group of stakeholders to engage with our communications strategy and to really understand what is driving our reputation at any point in time."
Anne Keogh, Head of Media Relations

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