The Measurement Mavens of the Month: Robert Hastings, Bridget Bishop, and William Shroeder of Bell Helicopter

Robert Hastings has been on my list of measurement mavens for some time, as I have followed his measurement advocacy from BAE Systems to Northrop Grumman, to Bell Helicopter. In fact, I owe “Kick Butt Index,” the name of our popular measurement product, to him. He came into a meeting and very succinctly described his need: “I just want a number I can use when the boss comes in and says, 'Damn it, Bob, we’re getting our butt kicked!' What does 'kicking butt' mean?"

Over the years Bob has continued to invest in measurement wherever he’s gone, and has continued to push the envelope in terms of measuring what matters and divining insights from his data. 

So it was no surprise when the Bell Helicopter team gave us a new challenge that would inspire some great conversations. We had been tracking Bell’s traditional media as well as a selection of online coverage, but Bob wanted to expand our efforts to include more social media. As a place to start, I pulled up their latest Traackr A-list that identified the top 50 influencers in social media.

“Why isn’t there just one list for all influencers, regardless of media?” they asked. Great question. And, I have to admit, I didn’t have an answer. So we’ve spent the past month or so working on exactly that problem. The answer is both technological as well as theoretical. A bit like trying to use a wooden ruler and a GPS at the same time. Traditional media has established norms and methodologies, but social gives you great tracking tools that can’t be replicated in traditional media. 

So we’ve developed an index for them, but it will need to be tested over time before we can share it with the world. In the meantime, we are honoring the communications team at Bell for pushing us, the conversation, and the industry to new heights.

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Katie Delahaye Paine is CEO of KDPaine & Partners, a company that delivers custom research to measure brand image, public relationships, and engagement. Katie Paine is a dynamic and experienced speaker on public relations and social media measurement. Click here for the schedule of Katie’s upcoming speaking engagements. Katie and Beth Kanter are authors of the book “Measuring the Networked Nonprofit,” to be published this year by Wiley.

The Measurement Standard is a publication of KDPaine & Partners, a company that delivers custom research to measure brand image, public relationships, and engagement. Katie Paine, CEO of KDPaine & Partners, will be glad to talk with you about measurement for your organization.

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