As you dissect the landscape of media monitoring and analytics solutions available to your team, it’s important to understand how best-in-class Communications professionals are tying measurement to business outcomes.

In our last blog post, we shared the results of an MIT study testing how untrained machines fare when it comes to measuring a brand’s key messages, identifying appropriate sentiment, and determining customer experience. The findings were less than stellar at 9% correct for key messages, 20% on sentiment and 33% on customer experience.

The focus in that post was on human vs. machine, but what happens when you pair the two together?

A hybrid approach to media analysis, one where a highly-trained human analyst utilizes top technology to track and monitor your media coverage and then correlates that data back to the stated business goals, produces exponentially better results.

The outcomes outlined below are achieved with a partnership of top technology and a level of human analysis that understands the context and nuances of media coverage specific to each unique company.

• Identify a new competitor– The C-Suite at a manufacturing corporation was specifically concerned about their coverage in high-stature industry publications, especially as it pertained to competitors. Although they were initially monitoring for a predetermined list of competing companies, a dedicated Analyst noticed that a young and untracked company was emerging, taking over a share of attention from important outlets. Proactively tracking that young company allowed the C-Suite to immediately pull powerful SOV reports and keep an eye on the new business, keeping them in the know on what was most impacting their business before it was too late.
• Stay in the know in a volatile market – A major telecommunications provider frequently needs timely media insights and reporting regarding product announcements, competitive announcements, or for ad-hoc internal presentations. They do not have the time to rework “directionally correct” data to get to the coverage analysis they need. Utilizing a dedicated media analyst with access to state-of-the-art reporting allows the team to be responsive and deliver their CEO the analytics they trust to make important decisions in the moment.

Ultimately, the power of pairing human with technology when it comes to media analysis is that it gets to the story behind the story, giving you the specific, timely, and trustworthy conclusions you need to be a brand hero with your C-suite.