Optimising Evaluations: Interview mit Louis de Schorlemer

By: KK, AZ / 18.11.08

Die Arbeitsgruppe Evaluation der European Association of Communication Directors (EACD) hat kürzlich eine Service-Broschüre zum Thema "PR Evaluation and Media Monitoring Work on a Global Scale’" veröffentlicht. Communicationcontrolling.de sprach mit Louis de Schorlemer, dem Vorsitzenden der Arbeitsgruppe und Kommunikationschef von Gallup Europe, über die EACD-Aktivitäten, aktuelle Trends und zukünftige Entwicklungen im Bereich des Kommunikationscontrollings.

communicationcontrolling.de: Mr. de Schorlemer, as the responsible person for the Evaluation working group of EACD and Gallup’s communications director, what are the current topics you are dealing with?

Louis de Schorlemer: The biggest challenge that organizations currently face is “trust”. Be they public or private institutions, they can all feel challenged in their relationship with their stakeholders. Many practitioners will now want to measure the emotional engagement of their target audiences and formulate strategies and tactics for persuasive communications. Each communicator will identify the key drivers of engagement that make the difference to their work, in their particular sector and for their stakeholders.

communicationcontrolling.de: Earlier this year, EACD released a brochure, entitled "PR Evaluation and Media Monitoring Work on a Global Scale". Could you give us a brief overview of the key findings?

Louis de Schorlemer: The brochure "PR Evaluation and Media Monitoring Work on a Global Scale" has been prepared by Cision’s Liza Robbins. Liza indicates that making evaluation systems work requires investing in the right mix of systems, technology and expertise. She outlines the challenges that must be overcome to realize the benefits of global PR evaluation and media monitoring work and argues the case for a six-step approach towards developing an optimum solution that meets individual needs. 

communicationcontrolling.de: EACD represents quite a significant number of communicators throughout Europe. What has been your strategy to ensure a comprehensive dialogue on the issue of "evaluation" takes place and that it is at the top of the EACD’s agenda?

Louis de Schorlemer:  “Evaluation” is on the agenda of the EACD’s board and it constitutes a key element in the 2008 anniversary event. Our workshop speakers will also address a larger public at the plenary session. In our working group, we tend to bring together practitioners rather than academics. We want to provide our members with tools so that they know how, why, what and when to measure. In our workshop “Tools and Strategies for Applying Evaluation” (13 November 2008 in Brussels), Volker Knauer (Deutsche Bahn)discussed the implications of research on communications and Sandra Macleod (Echo Research) presented the future of evaluation.

communicationcontrolling.de: What are your aims in both the near- and the long-term? Do you think about establishing standardised evaluation guidelines as part of your work?

Louis de Schorlemer: The "Evaluation" working group’s objectives could be described as being based on life-long learning. It is not primarily our intention to generate original content or contributions, but rather to build a platform where experts with an "evaluation" background share best practices and experiences with other communication professionals. We are developing a toolbox where EACD members can pick and choose the different instruments based on their particular needs and these needs are, of course, continually changing. In addition, we discuss the various methods and tools during our monthly telephone conferences.

communicationcontrolling.de: Could you say a few words about how you see the current situation on "evaluation" practices across Europe? Does any particular country (or sector) tend to be a "trail blazer" in your opinion and why?

Louis de Schorlemer: I seriously don’t think that, nowadays, any discipline can be country specific. "Evaluation" tends to be industry/competition driven and it depends on the nature of the communications to be addressed: corporate, internal, marketing, etc. I would have to agree, however, that most literature today seems to originate in an Anglo-Saxon environment. Despite that, pioneers will always be found within specific industry sectors, driven by innovative and responsible individuals. The retail, automotive and pharmaceutical industries have been measuring consumer behaviour and the impact of their marketing communications strategies for decades and have been pretty much national market driven. Professional corporate reputation management today, however, requires a multicultural conscience and cross-border cooperation. I would say that the days of national campaigns have long gone.

communicationcontrolling.de: Thank you for the interview!

About Louis de Schorlemer

Louis de Schorlemer was born 1972 in Luxembourg. He joined Gallup in Brussels in 2003 and is director of communications, in charge of external communications and public affairs. He manages operations for the Brussels and Luxembourg offices. Louis holds a Master's degree in Global Marketing Communications from Emerson College, Boston/USA and worked in Germany, Australia and Luxembourg before moving to Belgium. He is member of the Belgian Marketing Foundation and founding member of the European Association of Communication Directors.

About the EACD

The European Association of Communication Directors (EACD), was founded in 2006, and has since become a leading network for in-house communication professionals working in Europe. The EACD and its working groups host a variety of training and networking events for its almost 1000-strong membership, including the annual European Communication Summit in Brussels and Regional Debates taking place in capital cities across the continent. In addition, it offers its members publications such as Service Brochures on the most current topics in the profession, and the quarterly magazine, "Communication Director". More Information: www.eacd-online.eu.

Die Servicebroschüre "PR Evaluation and Media Monitoring Work on a Global Scale" kann hier bestellt werden. 

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