Research critical to effective PR

As consumers develop increasingly bigger blind spots for communication messages, brand owners and marketers are resorting to every means in the book - and outside it - to communicate with a highly disintegrated, varied and segmented base of audiences.

Public relations, which has gradually developed in the region from a press release service to a strategic tool for driving a brand's growth, now deserves center stage in every marketers tool kit. But to achieve this status, it has to first demonstrate effectiveness, accountability and consistent ROI's.

Raee Public Relations recently signed a strategic alliance with TNS (Middle East), the world's largest consumer insights and research company, to use TNS' 6thDimension online panels for generating consumer intelligence. The research will be used by Raee PR to create brand strategies for several of its clients using the firm's proprietary Opinion Management Model™ as well as to evaluate campaign performance.

'Next generation marketing requires not just a clear understanding of who the consumer is but also a detailed analyses of how she /he will act when exposed to certain communication stimuli,' said Ahmad Naved, Partner & GM at Raee.

'TNS' 6th Dimension is a research tool that taps into the opportunities offered by the Web 2.0 generation - consumers who are consciously and voluntarily participating in a dynamic and ongoing discourse with brands. While traditional mediums of research are still valid today, 6thDimension offers excellent speed-to-market including great value.' he added.

Commenting on the tie-up, Steve Hamilton-Clark, TNS' Managing Director Middle East and North Africa said: 'We have been around to see the development of the communication industry in the Middle East to a level of sophistication where they now feel a need for a deeper understanding of the consumer's mind. I am positive that this use of research by Raee Public Relations can only benefit the brands they service - adding credibility and value to their offerings by basing their strategies on solid consumer insights.'

What is opinion management?
The difference between building brand perception - the key task of traditional advertising - and brand opinion is significant. While perception is broad based and spreads evenly amongst everyone who is exposed to advertising messages, opinion is personal to every group of target audiences. Another key difference between the two is that while brand perception is key to awareness, the actual purchase decision depends on favorable opinion of the buyer - what an individual or group of individuals think of a brand. In the contemporary world, with highly disintegrated media and fast information flow, opinion counts a lot more than just perception when it comes to making a favorable impact on the business.

Raee PR has been using research as a strategic tool while applying its Opinion Management Module™, in several different ways:

• To understand the trigger points that can influence the opinions of a particular target audience

• To gauge the impact of a particular PR campaign

• For issues management

• To strengthen PR's accountability

'When Raee came to us looking for a robust and ongoing research solution for their Opinion Management Model™ which the PR consultancy uses to build brand strategies for their clients, we had no hesitation in recommending 6th Dimension, the world's foremost online research panels,' said Kaushal Upadhyay, TNS Group Account Director - 6th Dimension.

'Online panels provide market researchers with the ability to gain full control of very large panels; thereby, permitting more timely and effective research than before.'