Are your metrics stuck in the past? A guide to PR in the age of AI

As AI adoption accelerates, the PR and Communications landscape is shifting beneath our feet. For many organizations, this technological boom offers incredible efficiency, but it also creates a crisis of measurement. When AI can generate infinite content, measuring success by volume or “Advertising Space Rates” (ASR) or other traditional metrics becomes increasingly obsolete.

If we want to unlock the actual value of this technology, we need a fundamental shift in mindset. We need to embrace “The AND Strategy.” 

What good is efficiency without human insight?

In communications and strategy, we often see leaders cling to old metrics because they feel safe. They want to see “volume of press releases sent” rather than “actual influence on policy.” The same thing is happening with AI where leaders are clinging to the metric of “speed.”

If you ask ChatGPT to write a 10-point strategic plan for entering a new market, it will do it in 30 seconds. That is incredible efficiency. But if your competitor asks the same prompt, they will get the exact same plan. Efficiency without unique human insight is not a competitive advantage.

This is also a common point of frustration amongst insights teams, where senior executives aren’t ready to move beyond traditional metrics. This gives them a very boxed view of their campaign. In such a situation, having one leg in the past, and the other in the future really helps. We show them how the more evolved metrics can deduce business impact better compared to the older, more traditional ones.

The rise of the “cyborg” worker

A landmark 2023 study by Harvard Business School, in collaboration with BCG, examined hundreds of consultants using generative AI. Consultants using AI finished tasks 25.1% faster and produced results at a 40% higher quality.

However, the study found that the highest performers weren’t those who let AI do everything. The winners were the “cyborgs” — those who integrated AI into their workflow to handle heavy information processing, AND then applied heavy human judgment to refine, curate, and strategize based on that output. 

This, however, needs to be carefully balanced. AI might not be the right tool for dealing with specific, nuanced and complex topics that require human understanding and empathy. If the workforce is not implementing this balance in the right way, it then is a wake-up call for leadership to ask crucial questions — does my workforce know AI’s capabilities and limitations before utilising it? 

The “AND Strategy” and which metric actually matters

Sometimes, it just boils down to convincing executives realise which metrics to consider while looking at a particular campaign. An organisation should have that kind of flexibility to move beyond vanity metrics and embrace value metrics — metrics that actually matter to the business, like trust and reputation.

How do you encourage change without causing that friction? During a recent Isentia webinar, Ngaire Crawford, ANZ’s Director of Insights at Isentia, shared a practical approach called the “AND” Strategy. Instead of removing the old metrics “cold turkey,” give stakeholders exactly what they want, but pair it with the data they actually need.

For the next three months, put the Volume and ASR on the first slide, just as they expect and right next to it, add “AND” followed by one new metric that links closely to business impact. Then connect the two with a story. For example: “While our ASR declined slightly, our message penetration on the topic of ‘Innovation’ jumped 10%, which drove a record number of visits to our new product page and increased enquiries.” This shifts the conversation from being stuck to just numbers and demonstrating value.

Over time, executives will realize the ASR number offers no strategic insight, but the new metrics explain a tangible contribution to the organization. Eventually, the old numbers will fade away as you prove the value of the new story. 

What the “AND” strategy looks like in practice

To make this work, demonstrating that while the old metrics provide a baseline, the new metrics (and methods) provide the value. Here is how you can frame this shift for your leadership:

1. Shift in reporting (moving from volume to value)

• The old way (The “OR”): “We secured $50k in ASR and distributed 5 press releases this month.”
• The new way (The “AND”): “We secured $50k in ASR (continuity), AND our message penetration on the topic of ‘Innovation’ jumped 10%, which drove a record number of visits to our new product page (business impact).”

2. Shift in the workflow (Moving from output to insight)

• The old way (The “OR”): “I spent 8 hours researching and summarizing these 50 industry reports to catch up on the market.”
• The new way (The “AND”): “I used AI to summarize these 50 reports in 20 minutes (efficiency), AND I spent the rest of the day analyzing the gaps in that data to develop three unique strategic angles that our competitors won’t find (ingenuity).”

By presenting the data this way, executives eventually realise that the ASR number offers no strategic insight, while the “AND” component explains a tangible contribution to the organization.

Why do these newer metrics matter to your PR strategy?

Moving away from volume-based metrics is important because AI has fundamentally changed the value of content.

As Sara Pereira, Managing Director at PIABO Communications, notes at a recent event, “Audiences are entering their AI era and are surprisingly simple-minded about it. They may accept AI content initially, but “the moment they spot a flaw, trust erodes quickly.” 

She emphasizes that for communicators, “this makes it critical to balance commercial realities with public opinion, building trust cue by cue through radical authenticity”.

If your KPIs are still focused on how much you are putting out (ASR/Volume), you risk incentivizing the wrong behavior in an AI world. As Ching Yee Wong of Marriott International reminds us, “cultural sensitivity and personal care must remain human-driven”.

The roadmap for growth

The “AND” strategy allows you to bridge this gap. It respects the history of your organization and gently guides leadership toward the future. By focusing on metrics that capture trust, engagement, and authenticity, rather than just space and volume, you position yourself not just as a content generator, but as a strategic business expert. It’s also worth being open to how AI works in conjunction with human expertise and working out ways to maximise efficiency at the workplace. 

At Isentia, we are here to help you navigate this transition, ensuring you have the right insights to tell that story.

Learn more about how Isentia can help you evaluate the right metrics for your media campaigns.

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