The city of Surabaya has become a witness to the excitement of the 8th PR INDONESIA Jamboree (JAMPIRO). As for me, I always monitored the journey of this activity despite not witnessing it directly, starting from the preliminary round to the final event on Thursday, November 10, 2022. This annual event by PR INDONESIA has indeed become the most awaited event among communication practitioners in Indonesia. Through this event, PR INDONESIA as the organizer consistently provides recognition for the work of professionals in this field.

It was a delight for me to hear the news of so many communication practitioners who had taken various initiatives this year. From presentations by the participants, it was known that their efforts have received positive responses, both from stakeholders and the public at large. It is undeniable that in this dynamic era, communication practitioners, including those in public affairs, are required to always be creative and innovative. The ever-changing times and technology have encouraged communicators to always be adaptive. Thus, the message communicated can be well received and understood by the intended audience.

Amid challenges that keep coming and are never the same, practitioners who never give up are entitled to receive commensurate rewards. Indeed, even during the post-pandemic recovery period today, the world is witnessing the importance of communication. Both the government and the private sector continue to ensure that messages or information must be channelled and reach the target audience regardless of the conditions.

Therefore, despite the feeling of euphoria from the appreciation we received, I would like to invite fellow communication practitioners to continue keeping our guard up. Always remind ourselves to look back at the goals we set at the beginning. Starting from designing PR strategies, communications plans, to performing engagements. Communication practitioners need to continue assessing and ensuring that the strategy we implemented gets us closer to the communication goals we set, as has also been extensively communicated by various sources in PR INDONESIA Magazine regarding integrated measurement by the International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC).

Coincidentally, November is AMEC measurement month. Since 2018, AMEC has regularly held special campaigns throughout the month. The goal is to educate communication practitioners about the AMEC measurement framework. Readers can take part in various webinar sessions to enrich their knowledge regarding measuring communication effectiveness. I also participated in some of them. It is interesting and important to learn, especially since the sources are from fellow practitioners in various countries.

The AMEC measurement framework serves as a reminder that communication practitioners must not be satisfied with output achievements only. Rather, communication efforts need to be further reviewed especially when it comes to things obtained and felt by the target audience (outtakes). The next step is to ensure that the communication strategy we have implemented can drive the target audience towards our communication goals (outcomes). Furthermore, we also have to ensure that the impact of the communication program is in line with the organization’s goals (impact). In a variety of public affairs activities, for example, one common activity is a public policy advocacy campaign.

Like campaigns in general, in carrying out public policy advocacy campaigns, practitioners can also use paid, earned, shared, and owned media (PESO) model to communicate key messages. Meanwhile, when it comes to measurement, in an advocacy campaign like this, it is not enough for PR to only talk about the amount of media coverage or social media engagement rate. Another milestone is needed, for example, a change in the attitude of the target audience from those who initially did not agree to agree. The final expected goal is a change in the policy itself, which could be in the form of adding, revising, or even deleting certain rules. This is what we call impact.

The period toward the end of this year is the right time for communication practitioners to take a moment, evaluate all communication activities that have been carried out, and measure their effectiveness. Some may have reached the target, and for some, there may be something that needs to be repaired or even stopped because it is not effective and no longer efficient. Communication practitioners must make this evaluation process a key element in their routine before finally deciding on other steps or following the latest trends in the new year. This way, I believe that various things that we have planned can run right on target.

Verlyana V. Hitipeuw
CEO & Principal Consultant, Kiroyan Partners

This article has been published in PR Indonesia magazine 92th edition issued on November 2022, page 81.

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