In 2024, there are many data sets to help measure strategic communications campaign success. Among them, are:

• Earned media coverage,
• Social media chatter,
• Social media engagement,
• Online reviews and ratings,
• Business listing activity,
• Search engine visibility and rankings,
• Video views and completions,
• Podcast followers,
• Display advertising impressions,
• Social advertising reach & engagement,
• Search advertising click-through rates,
• New versus returning website visitors from all channels,
• Website content engagement, including scroll depths, time on page, and content shares,
• Conversions such as newsletter subscriptions, account creation and logins, business inquiries, and direct sales.

Tunheim’s Measurement Philosophy 

One of the most frequent questions we are asked is how we measure.  

Tunheim’s measurement philosophy begins at the end.   

Client Goals 

We have frank conversations with our clients about what success looks like to them, specifically. Client goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound in order to ensure accurate tracking and assessment of our efforts.    

Key Performance Indicators 

Once we have agreement on the result that would demonstrate success, we build our measurement plan from that endpoint backwards to the beginning of our engagement to identify each key performance indicator (KPI) that leads to success.  

This measurement plan serves as the foundation for any reporting dashboards we create that take into consideration the audience for the dashboard and the most important metrics they need to know.  

Ready to elevate your communications strategy? Contact us today to discover how our data-driven insights can drive your success.

Written by Jana Miller and Olivia Michel

Black Friday, once synonymous with crowded malls and chaotic parking lots, has undergone significant transformation in past years. While the core excitement of this annual shopping extravaganza remains, the ways in which consumers engage with it have evolved, blending tradition with the conveniences of the digital age.

Gone are the days of a singular, frenzied day of deals.

Black Friday has expanded into a season, spanning several months from back-to-school specials to December 24, catering to the diverse needs of today’s consumers. Families, whether extended, blended, or connected across borders, are on the lookout for budget-friendly gifts, driving the demand for better deals throughout the extended shopping period. Shoppers can find sales such as “Black Friday Warmup Sale” or “Early Bird Sale” beginning as early as October.

Online shopping has become an integral part of the Black Friday experience, catering to a tech-savvy audience. Not only has Black Friday morphed into a months-long ordeal, but Cyber Monday has also lengthened its stay, allowing for shoppers to find the best deals from their living rooms, all month long.

While the traditional in-person Black Friday experience persists, the hours have transformed. For many, Black Friday is about the thrill of the experience. In the past, dedicated shoppers camp out days before, while others join the fray last-minute, well aware that the coveted “doorbusters” may have already been claimed. This year, we aren’t seeing the “Door Buster” signs and alerts, as most are shopping Black Friday deals throughout the whole month of November, or from the comfort of their homes. Gone is the mad rush to find your PS4 at Best Buy, or a new Keurig at Target. The new Keurig has been 50% off since October 31!

So, how does Black Friday continue to captivate shoppers in the digital age?

Geo-targeted deals and mobile alerts seamlessly blend tradition with the convenience of modern technology, creating a unique and dynamic shopping experience. While perusing the web is still a valid Black Friday tradition, mobile options such as Tik Tok shop have opened up the playing field. Consumers can find their favorite brands at extreme discounts in one click while getting their daily dose from their “For You” page. Furthermore, brands are buying into gift-giving technology, such as Kohls who is introducing “Kohl’s Storybook Magic”, an interactive gift-giving AI platform. Customers can input their gift recipient’s hobbies or favorite things and receive a personalized story and gift inspiration.

For Millennials and Gen Z who grew up waiting for doorbuster sales, brands would be smart to target these audiences with social media campaigns and influencer marketing, as they transition from brick-and-mortar shopping to online shopping. According to Deloitte: Black Friday – Cyber Monday Embraced as Consumers Seek Deals to Stretch their Budgets, “Both generations are set to be the largest segments of Black Friday/Cyber Monday shoppers.” Focusing on key messaging to target the younger generations will help to win them over in this highly saturated market.

When shopping, Gen Z look for brands that:

• Use transparent and authentic messaging.
• Are recommended by peers.
• Are aligned with current trends.
• Offer “buy now, pay later” payment options.
• Care about their impact on the environment.

In a world where shopping habits evolve, Black Friday remains adaptable.

As we immerse ourselves in Black Friday 2023 the question lingers: do these deals still influence consumers in today’s always-on shopping universe?  As the shopping landscape continues to evolve, Black Friday adapts, ensuring that whether online or in-store, the thrill of the hunt persists in the hearts of avid shoppers

In today’s fast-paced digital world, effective communication is paramount for businesses to thrive. But what exactly is Integrated Communications, and how can it elevate your brand to new heights? Experts Liz Sheets and Emily McGrath explain below.

Defining Integrated Communications

Integrated Communications is more than just a buzzword; it’s a strategic approach to ensure your messages are consistently delivered to the right people, at the right time, and in the right way.

Tunheim leverages this process to maintain a seamless connection between your brand and its target audience. But what makes it so impactful, and how can it benefit your business?

The Power of Consistency

Consistency is key in the world of marketing and communication. Liz and Emily highlight how Integrated Communications helps in weaving a consistent narrative for your brand. This consistency not only strengthens brand identity but also fosters trust among your audience.

Precision Targeting

One of the significant advantages of this type of communication is its ability to connect with the right people. In today’s age of information overload, reaching your ideal audience can be challenging. However, Liz and Emily point out that this strategy aligns your messaging with the individuals who matter most to your business.

By pinpointing your audience and tailoring your message accordingly, Integrated Communications maximizes the relevance of your content, increasing engagement and conversion rates.

The Right Time and Manner

Timing is everything. Liz and Emily emphasize that Integrated Communications not only focuses on who receives the message but also when and how they receive it. This strategic approach ensures your communication efforts are well-timed and delivered in the most effective manner.

Whether it’s through social media, email marketing, or traditional advertising, this process optimizes the channels and methods to ensure your message reaches your audience when they are most receptive.

Integrated Communications is not just a strategy; it’s a powerful tool that can transform your brand’s communication landscape. Contact us to help unlock the potential and watch your brand soar to new heights!

8 Trends in Integrated Communications for 2023

These are eight trends in integrated communications we can expect to see in 2023.

1. Reevaluate Social Media Plans 

As the dumpster fire that was Twitter continues to burn, and Meta faces layoffs and government scrutiny in 2023, communications professionals will need to reevaluate their digital ad and social listening tools continually.

With so many changes in the digital landscape, it is essential to stay abreast of new digital channels to maximize your tools and practices in 2023. 

2. Video Continues to be King of Storytelling 

Quality video storytelling can be utilized across multiple channels. For one client, we launch new video stories at monthly all-staff meetings. Then, we use that same content to enhance website SEO, boost social media posts, leverage it as thought leadership material, and use it as digital advertising.  

3. Create Owned Media Channels 

Because more and more people receive news through social media coupled with the resulting layoffs in traditional newsrooms, it is getting increasingly difficult to get quality stories in legacy media outlets.

Now is the time for companies to increase the amount of content they produce and release on owned channels such as blogs, social media, and podcasts. Once you have quality content that tells your story, you can boost it across your channels and customize it to your audience so you control how you’re being heard.  

4. COVID-19 Spurred Transformational Government Spending 

Since the pandemic disrupted business as usual in 2020, the federal government has infused an unprecedented about of money into the economy under two presidents. Make sure your company knows what new funding is available and maximize your chances to access it.

This could be a great time to join or build a coalition aligned with government initiatives.  

5. News is Becoming Hyper-Targeted 

COVID-19 forced people to separate and quarantine for long periods, but they still seek connection with their communities.

Distributing relevant content that creates communities of people with shared values will be more effective than broader brand awareness campaigns. Successful pitches will be tailored to niche audiences and publications.

77% of PR pros ranked relevance and personalization as the most important factors in determining whether a PR pitch will be successful.  (Source: Muck Rack 2021) 

6. Connection to Work is Fundamentally Different 

Corporate communication is no longer just about keeping employees informed. Organizations must redefine a stable workforce: when and where employees work and what keeps them engaged.

As many employees took the pandemic to rethink what they want in a career, companies must become more open to new ways of doing things and new workforce incentives. Brands and organizations must remain flexible and resourceful as guidelines on all levels are changing rapidly.

Effectively communicating and managing these changes will be critical to long-range success. 

7. Authentic and Genuine Messaging Rings True

Gen X and Millennials want to feel the companies they support are doing good for the world.

Corporate responsibility and ESG plans should be communicated to audiences only when they are authentic and genuine. Audiences are getting more sophisticated at separating companies that are “greenwashing” or embellishing cause-marketing results in their reporting, and inauthentic efforts backfire.

8. Diversity Matters

As demographics in the United States become increasingly diverse and communications become more global, brands must design communication strategies relevant to all audiences.

Communication tactics must be accessible and inclusive, and messages must be presented in authentic voices through various targeted channels. Don’t overlook or, worse, offend growing sectors of your audience base. 

If any of these are needs at your organization or brand, let’s discuss how Tunheim can help you build a smart and integrated approach to reach your desired audiences.   

We asked our team of experts here at Tunheim for their top tips for utilizing communications as organizations navigate change. Here’s what they said:

Is anyone else sick of the the alarming messages we are seeing about important topics these days? Whether on the topic of beating COVID-19, global political dynamics or climate change, it seems things are either dire and dystopian or fabulous and we’ve ‘turned the corner.’

I have been around long enough to expect shades of gray on most topics and am so disappointed by the jarring nature of good news/bad news pendulums delivered by too many leaders. Somehow, we have got to train ourselves back to the reality of how l-o-n-g it takes to work through gnarly problems. How vexing it can be to see potential breakthroughs only to realize that achieving them will take immense resources, or courageous realignment of political priorities. And then we will need to find the political will and practical approaches to actually commit those resources or take those political steps. And I believe we need organizational leaders to be part of taking these responsibilities in each of our communities, on each of the challenging issues we face.

As I reflect on why and how we have devolved into such unimpressive discourse (to say nothing of decision-making), I land on one of my oft-visited topics: trust. We have suffered devasting declines in the extent to which people find the institutions around them trustworthy. No sector has escaped the trend: media outlets, public officials at every level, Wall Street and corporate leaders collectively, law enforcement, higher education, even philanthropy.

Interestingly, individuals will give higher scores on trustworthiness to specific leaders: the CEO of their company, or the mayor of their town, the governor of their state. And there are important things to take away from that distinction.

Trust is built by meeting expectations over time. Say what you are going to do; then do it. After a few repetitions of that experience, a level of trust is formed. Over longer spans of time, we learn that trusted entities can even make a mistake, or miss a goal, and still retain trust. Once established, trust has capacity to show some tolerance for human error. That is the good news.

The bad news is that, again, whole categories of leaders in our society have seen their trustworthiness decline. And rather than striving to rebuild trust by carefully setting expectations and then meeting those expectations, it seems it is easier to opine on what is wrong and demonize – or to catch the wave of a positive develop and jump to the front of the crowd to declare victory. Soon, of course, the trend lines change, and expectations are yet-again not met. And trust declines.

There are great opportunities right in front of us to reverse this trend. Some individual corporate leaders are sticking their necks out with commitments related to equity and to climate change. Big gnarly challenges that they cannot actually solve on their own. But by focusing attention on building trust in their leadership, they can also rebuild in institutions more broadly. Same for individual public sector leaders; same for leaders in media, in public safety.

It took time to create the devolving phenomena we are experiencing now. It will take time to rebuild institutional trust. Let’s get started.

As a 65-year-old white female executive, I must confess that I have serious work to do on the challenge of talking comfortably about race: about differences, about commonalities, about privilege, about systemic racism and its corrosive impacts on people – on Black people, on Indigenous people, on Asian-heritage people. On all of us, really. The desire to be honest and authentic drives me – followed closely by fear of offending others, of sounding arrogant, or ignorant, or privileged: any of which I can sometimes reflect without intending to do so.

One of my Black colleagues gave me the greatest gift for this work some years ago. He said, “we all need practice for these conversations; so let’s start practicing.” It gave me and all our colleagues permission to begin, knowing that we would likely not be very effective – or comfortable – at first. But like so many important things in life, practice does make a difference.

This offer to practice should not be mistaken as an expectation that our Black and Brown colleagues and friends can do the work of becoming inclusive for us “white folks.” But practicing amongst only those who share our racial identify will not enable us to achieve all we say we want to achieve: an equitable future. Conversations about race amongst those of us from our majority ethnic populations can enable educating each other, sharing information about the reasons we should all want to achieve equity. Not motivated by guilt, but perhaps moral conviction. Or perhaps a rational assessment that, as the late U.S. Senator from Minnesota, Paul Wellstone, said: “We all do better when we all do better.” Amen. Our national economy needs us all to do better to compete around the world.

Another good friend has shared with me his experience that, as a Black man, he has understood the need to ‘perform’ for much of his life: engage with white professionals in ways that allow the white colleagues to feel comfortable. He has also told me that he will not be doing that anymore. He is successful enough that he can project who he really is, what he really thinks, in the ways most authentic to him. Am I ready for that? I want to be, so we’ll see.

I came of age as a professional at a time when being a young female meant I had some experiences that paralleled that notion of ‘performing.’ Trying to fit into a group of colleagues, though the only one wearing a skirt, hosiery and high heels was a daily grind – and wore on my self-confidence. As I commit myself now to the work of advancing equity, it helps to reflect on the experiences I had early in my career as a ‘performer,’ but also, over time, as a leader of colleagues, both men and women.

Finding places and ways to practice talking about race should be a personal commitment for each of us – and we should encourage each other that there are no right or wrong ways to proceed. Just proceed! Be willing to be vulnerable: expect to unintentionally offend others, perhaps embarrass yourself. Be prepared to apologize and learn from those moments. Try again. You will keep getting better, and your life will be enriched in ways you may not anticipate: richer, more adventurous, more rewarding.

In the same way our organizations and our communities have benefitted exponentially from the progress toward giving women equal access to opportunities, to power, to wealth (though it must be noted: we have more work to do!), we will collectively benefit from marking that progress for our colleagues of color. All boats will rise.

Let’s keep practicing.