6 indicators of hope in PR measurement

Metrics old and new may soon slake the thirst for ROI in social media

I’ll never forget driving through the hills just north of L.A. after yet another fire had devastated the area. The last time I’d seen them they were charred and blackened and lifeless. Less than six months later they were covered with pale green fuzz — kind of like my hair after chemo; easily missed, but there nonetheless — full of signs of life, rebirth, new growth. That’s the way I see our industry today after a series of bombshells dropped recently on the Kingdom of Accountability.

Bombshell #1: P&G pays for engagement

First Procter & Gamble announces that they no longer want to pay for eyeballs, “hits” or costs per mile (CPM). They only want to pay for “engagement.” And that means, P&G said, those people who provide e-mail addresses, download something or subscribe to your newsletter.

Sound familiar?