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New PR measurement to help improve bottomlines

DUBAI — A new Dubai-based integrated media intelligence service will allow companies operating in the region to find a new way to improve the bottom line — by assessing how their services and products, and their industry generally, are perceived by customers and to compare their performance with competitors.

This information will help companies better target and align their marketing and public relations (PR) efforts. And with PR expenditure in the region reaching about $40 million annually, it is expected to fulfil a major gap in the market for media measurement and effective analysis.

Launched this month by the media intelligence firm, Mediastow, the service gives businesses the ability to study and assess their public image though the review and monitoring of their media presence. The service will be provided across the region and will extend its operations to a number of countries in the GCC, Levant and North Africa in order to have accurate coverage for its clients.

"Staying on top of media coverage is a key element of an effective marketing strategy. Businesses particularly in the UAE are paying too much attention to how to penetrate the media, while often neglecting to analyse effectively the impact of their media presence," said managing director of Mediastow, Mohamed Elzubeir,

As an example of how the service could be used, he cites the recent bad coverage of energy drinks in Saudi Arabia. The integrated media intelligence service would help energy drink companies better understand the context of the problem and, therefore, be in a better position to communicate the right message, he said. The service is all about "trying to provide intelligence" and "translating information into knowledge". And the only way companies will really see how effective the service is to see how the findings are applied, he added.

The use of integrated media intelligence is most advanced in Canada, followed by the US, UK and Australia, said Elzubeir, but it is the first time it has been available in the UAE. He added: "Measurement in the PR industry is a major issue and our unique measurement parameter called RAVE will demonstrate the value PR adds to any business."

Mediastow will offer the 'Intelligence Monitor' service with a high-powered, low-cost Web service that allows businesses to simultaneously monitor thousands of newswires, publications, web sites, databases and document collections.

The integrated media intelligence firm will be one of the first in the region to offer news and advertising monitoring across every media with a clear measurement structure. It provides public relations firms, advertising agencies and in-house marketers in the region with comprehensive solutions, including editorial and advertisement retrieval and management and analysis solutions.

Mediastow, which was set up 12 months ago, employs about 30 people. Elzubeir explained that it began by offering clients "a simpler form of measurement service" and is now offering the "intelligence aspect of it."