Most organisations measure communications activity. Few measure how communications influences decisions, shapes stakeholder behaviour and contributes to organisational change. That’s where the real value lies.
By Niall Hughes, Head of Brand Storytelling, ImpactInstitute
The gap I see most often in my line of work isn’t between good and bad communications. It’s between organisations where communications is understood as mission-critical and those who treat it, and measure it, like a support function.
Most organisations recognise the importance of trust, stakeholder engagement, reputation, public support and policy influence. They understand these things affect growth, risk and performance. What they often fail to properly recognise is the role communications plays in driving those outcomes.
The best communications deliver more than messaging to market. They deliver communications intelligence.
By constantly scanning the horizon and helping organisations understand the environment around them, communications teams help inform organisational strategy. Their position at the coalface of public opinion allows them to understand and pivot narratives to meet public debate in real time.
Communications creates value long before it’s identified in the annual report
I saw this play out in our work with the National Growth Areas Alliance (NGAA), where an advocacy campaign generated more than 1,000 pieces of national media coverage.
The coverage was significant, but it wasn’t where the greatest value sat.
The campaign elevated housing affordability and urban growth issues among ministers and advisers ahead of a federal election. It gave NGAA greater visibility at precisely the point it was seeking engagement with government. Feedback from ministerial offices referenced the report and campaign directly. The narratives developed through the campaign became part of advocacy conversations. Later, elements of that language and framing appeared in policy commitments aligned with the Alliance’s priorities.
A report focused solely on volume of coverage would have captured the activity. It would have missed much of the contribution.
The profession has had a clear framework for this for years. AMEC’s Barcelona Principles, widely recognised as the global standard for communications measurement, argue that communications should be evaluated against organisational outcomes, not activity metrics. Start with objectives. Understand your stakeholders. Focus on outcomes. Demonstrate impact.
The direction of travel has always been right. The challenge has been finding a practical pathway to get there.
Some of the most important communications outcomes never appear in communications reports
There’s another challenge here. Communications teams and agencies often only see part of the picture.
An agency may be able to report reach, coverage, message penetration and audience engagement. But some of the most meaningful evidence sits elsewhere in the organisation.
- Did the campaign open doors with policymakers?
- Were messages adopted in stakeholder discussions?
- Did content shape executive decision-making?
- Did it influence how leaders spoke about an issue?
Without those insights, it’s difficult to understand the full contribution communications has made.
That’s why measuring impact is rarely the responsibility of communications alone. It requires organisations to agree on how value is created and what success looks like before a campaign even begins.
Without that shared understanding, communications teams often produce metrics that are difficult to connect to organisational impact.
A Theory of Change reveals the true value of communications
It’s one of the reasons we’ve become increasingly interested in applying Theory of Change to communications strategy at ImpactInstitute.
For years, Theory of Change has helped organisations understand how activities contribute to meaningful social, organisational and policy outcomes. Increasingly, we’re finding it provides a powerful framework for communications planning and measurement as well.
Not because it produces better reports, although it often does. But because it forces organisations to think about communications, not as a mouthpiece, but as a strategic tool for changing their internal and external contexts.
How is the narrative created by “the colouring in department” shaping how stakeholders understand, prioritise and act on our issues?
How are communications insights helping leadership teams adapt strategy in real time?
How is the evidence gathered to support thought leadership feeding back into organisational decision-making?
At ImpactInstitute, we use Theory of Change and impact measurement frameworks to help organisations identify the outcomes they’re trying to create, map the pathways that lead to change and understand where communications can make the greatest contribution.
When organisations work through those questions, communications starts to look very different.
Why impact measurement and communications strategy belong together
This is why ImpactInstitute brings together advisory, measurement and strategic communications expertise.
Whether we’re helping an organisation develop a Theory of Change, build an evidence base, measure impact, drive brand awareness, work on their positioning or delivering thought leadership, we’re ultimately working towards the same goal: helping organisations create change and demonstrate the contribution they’ve made.
The challenge isn’t simply measuring communications better. It’s understanding how communications contributes to change in the first place.
When organisations can make those connections, communications stops being viewed as a function that reports activity and starts being recognised as a strategic driver of impact.
Let’s make the value of communications visible
If you’re ready to move beyond reporting outputs and start demonstrating outcomes, we’d love to help. Talk to us about connecting communications, strategy and impact through Theory of Change, measurement and storytelling that shows the value you create.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is communications impact?
Communications impact is the contribution communications makes to organisational outcomes, such as influencing stakeholders, shaping policy, building trust or changing behaviour.
What is communications intelligence?
Communications intelligence is the data and insights communications professionals gather in understanding the public narrative from social media comments to industry headlines. It also refers to the information that communications professionals generate to meet the public conversation. These can help organisations understand their context and stakeholder views in real time.
Why aren’t media coverage and reach enough to measure success?
Coverage, reach and engagement aren’t bad measures, they just lack meaning when they aren’t connected to the strategic outcomes and impact an organisation is driving to.
What are the Barcelona Principles?
The Barcelona Principles are the global standard for communications measurement. They encourage organisations to measure communications against objectives and outcomes rather than outputs alone.
How does Theory of Change improve communications measurement?
Theory of Change helps organisations map how communications contributes to a desired outcome and creates a clearer link between activity and impact. If communications teams are included in the development of organisational theories of change, it also provides a method for communications to identify where opportunities lie to support organisational goals.
Can communications influence organisational strategy?
Yes. Communications teams provide valuable insights into stakeholder sentiment, public narratives and emerging issues that can inform strategy, advocacy and risk management.