FAQ's
Media Relations Rating Points (MRP™) is a measurement system that provides
standardized reporting of media coverage.
It is based on a percentage rating system that can be used for any type of media
coverage (i.e. print, TV, radio, online etc.) and can be easily customized by company
or by project. The MRP™ system provides qualitative and quantitative metrics to evaluate
media coverage, track total reach and cost per contact.
The system is linked to a subscriber-based database that provides up to date reach numbers
for all media..
MRP™ will allow PR Practitioners and communicators to work with a consistent, official system
of measurement. With a standardized measurement system in place, PR activities can be measured
on a level playing field using comparable criteria. The MRP™ system will be your tool to immediately
and accurately report your return on investment to internal and external stakeholders.
The system includes a spreadsheet and iBinder clip book that allows users to track editorial media coverage
on their campaign including:
- Editorial outlet
- Reach
- 14 standard criteria
- 10 customized criteria
- Total rating score out of 100 %
- Cost per contact
Editorial outlet and reach data is provided by key industry standard suppliers (see below).
Criteria
The key to the success of the MRP™ system is a dialogue at the outset between
the communications professional executing the campaign and the stakeholders evaluating
the success of the campaign to determine the criteria.
These can include, but are not limited to, brand mention, key message inclusion,
prominence, photo, spokesperson quote, etc. There is an optional bonus/demerit point.
The extra point is outside of the rating system and is used for exceptional coverage,
either positive or negative, such as front page coverage.
Tone
Tone is defined as the explicit or strongly implicit characterization of an article’s
or segment’s subject, and it reflects how a target audience is likely to feel about
the client, product, or topic. MRP™ reports tone as positive, balanced, or negative and
is represented on the MRP™ report by checkmarks. Note that an article’s tone is independent
of variables such as brand, key message, or call to action. Thus, while an article that
has a supported key message is more likely to also be positive, it is not positive
because it has that key message.
Cost per Contact
Cost per contact is determined by dividing the total cost/budget of the program
by the total reach.
News Canada, a company recognized for the past 30 years for its accurate measurement
of PR results - and also known for its incomparable bank of media measuring data -
has been selected by CPRS Measurement Committee to provide the reach numbers.
It is a subscriber-based online system which has a range of subscription plans, based
on number of users to suit the sole practitioner, midsize or large corporate enterprise.
The system has been designed to allow the user to easily create media reports and will
automatically insert reach data as soon as the user types in the media outlet, ensuring
that all users have a standardized set of reach numbers.
News Canada has developed great relationships with leading industry suppliers and is
sourcing reach numbers from:
- BBM for broadcast coverage
- Combase for community newspapers
- NadBank for the dailies
- Hebdo for French papers
- PMB for magazines
- News Canada for: URL data, community newspapers (not in Combase), trade publications.
Each supplier provides the most accurate data available and updates are provided
on each supplier’s schedule which ranges from four times a year to once a year.
BBM tracks broadcast reach differently for television and radio. For TV the reach
is calculated on the average daily reach for a particular program; for radio it is
the average quarter hour reach within a day part (four hour time period).
This initiative was conceived by a group of leading PR professionals and is officially
supported by the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS), IABC (International Association
of Business Communicators) and CCPRF (Canadian Council of Public Relations Firms).
The website and database that provide the reach numbers was developed and is maintained
by News Canada.
Any PR practitioner or corporate communicator from a large agency in Vancouver,
to a sole practitioner in Halifax and anyone that works in communications or media
relations can use this system to evaluate editorial coverage.
The MRP™ system can also be used to measure crisis communications and unplanned media
attention.
The Canadian Public Relations Society, the International Association of Business and
Communicators and the Canadian Council of Public Relations Firms support the MRP™ system.
Currently the MRP™ system is not a prerequisite to enter any of the PR awards in Canada.
However, the use of MRP reports in entry submission is strongly recommended and encouraged
by the CPRS National Awards Committee.
Yes, complimentary training is offered via Webex or onsite.
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