But what about the dissemination efforts of an association, civil organization or public or private body?
There are institutional campaigns that do not have the same purpose as a product or service campaign, which seek to raise awareness about a topic and even influence to change perceptions or habits, and do not necessarily encourage the purchase or decision on a product or service. This is the case of national vaccination campaigns, campaigns that promote responsible use of water or denounce animal abuse, to give a few examples.
Evaluating the impact of this type of campaign requires very different methodologies and parameters. As there is no tangible and independent metric such as sales in the case of products or services, specific metrics must be developed in public opinion research to identify how much influence the campaign has on people, asking questions directly and indirectly and supporting us with statistical analysis.
In the words of Luis Arturo García, director of CINCO, the public opinion research and data generation division of Zimat Consultores: “There is also a challenge for institutional campaigns, which is the context that influences people’s opinion on social issues. , economic or political, so it is always important to clearly define the objectives that the campaign seeks to achieve and determine the most appropriate metrics to measure the real impact”.
Another crucial factor in determining evaluation objectives and parameters is to have a very detailed, meticulous diagnosis and with the greatest amount of intelligence and information possible, to know where we are, where we want to go and how we will achieve it.
But perhaps the biggest difference when measuring the impact of an institutional campaign is the time factor. A massive campaign that seeks to position a brand, a new product or a commercial promotion usually has an immediate impact that can be measured in the short term.
On the contrary, influencing opinions and perceptions, or promoting a change in habits and behaviors in the population, usually implies long-term work. These changes require continuous stimulation, often for years, and the research will help to identify trends, subtle changes that lead in the expected direction, and that can be reversed, as already mentioned, from external factors such as an economic crisis or a pandemic. In these cases, Luis Arturo García recommends developing a tracking methodology, which allows for measurement exercises that are comparable to each other over time, and which allows the identification of trends in changes in perception or behavior.