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Enhancing public relations campaigns using accurate data with Roy Morgan’s Julian McCrann

  • Julian McCrann is the Public Relations and Communications Manager at Roy Morgan, Australia’s longest-established social, political market research and public opinion statistics company.
  • In this article, Julian talks about his career and passion for accurate data collection and analysis based on a feminist mindset.
  • Julian will be speaking at the upcoming Comms and Social Media Summit 2023.

If we can present data that is easily understood and acted upon and which provides a clear path forward to achieving a better result and an optimal outcome for our clients, and our potential clients, we are a long way along delivering a clear use case and value that ensures our hard work is recognised and creates a winning environment for all stakeholders.

1. According to your LinkedIn profile, you’ve been with Roy Morgan for 16 years. What do you love most about working there?

I have worked at Roy Morgan since October 2007 and grown substantially as a part of this exciting business. For those of you who don’t know much about Roy Morgan we are Australia’s largest independent market research company and we conduct research into all facets of the lives of Australians – as well as New Zealanders and Indonesians.

The driving force behind the success of Roy Morgan is a focus on accurate data and the excellent leadership we have from the top with our CEO Michele Levine, Head of Client Services Portia Morgan and Head of Customised Research Athina Katiforis.

Roy Morgan is very lucky to be led by three exceptional Women at the top and I know that Women’s Leadership is an essential ingredient in the success of the company and our positioning in the market as one of Australia’s most trusted data providers across a range of industries and research projects.

On a personal level I have felt extremely well supported and thrived in a business that truly values Women’s Leadership and which adopts a Feminist mindset in driving business decisions and development. Feminist values that prioritise an inclusive and collaborative workplace drive productive, efficient and profitable decision making.

Women’s Leadership from the top provides a supportive environment for career progression for all. As a man I feel I benefit greatly from working in a business that adheres to a Feminist mindset.

2. How critical are effective public relations campaigns to Roy Morgan’s work? How does it help the research firm provide meaningful market research?

The public relations campaigns undertaken at Roy Morgan are an essential factor in driving new business and new opportunities for the business to explore and invest in.

Collaborating closely with our key partners including the ANZ Bank, Australian Retailers Association (ARA), Melbourne Institute and others gives us access to a depth of knowledge in important industries and we can leverage these close relationships to drive interest and provide a compelling case to take to potential new clientele.

Maintaining and growing our public profile through these collaborative ventures attracts media attention both in the mainstream as well as through important trade publications that reach directly through to key decision makers in businesses we know we can add value to.

3. What are the best ways to use data to improve public relations campaigns?

The best way to use data is to first ensure the data we are collecting and disseminating to clients, the media, and through those channels and our own, the broader public, is accurate and relevant.

We undertake extensive analysis of the copious amounts of data we collect to draw out the key findings which inform our public relations campaigns and ensure they provide the two-way value to grow the business and connect with potential new clients.

I have found the inherent value of the data is enhanced when interpreting and utilising a Feminist mindset when considering how that data can optimally be used to drive inclusive, collaborative and mutually beneficial results for both Roy Morgan and our clients. ‘Feminist Data Analysis’ (FDA) & ‘Feminist Informed Data Optimisation’ (FIDO) are underlying tenets that drive how I handle data to design public relation campaigns that reach and engage the public and external stakeholders in an inclusive and productive manner.

If we can present data that is easily understood and acted upon and which provides a clear path forward to achieving a better result and an optimal outcome for our clients, and our potential clients, we are a long way along delivering a clear use case and value that ensures our hard work is recognised and creates a winning environment for all stakeholders. Public relations campaigns at Roy Morgan draw heavily on the data to deliver these outcomes to internal and external stakeholders.

4. Any initiatives that you’re working on at Roy Morgan that you’re particularly excited about?

We are always working on exciting and relevant projects at Roy Morgan that involve deep dives into the thoughts, views and beliefs Australians have about important societal issues. Over the last year we have looked deeply at how Australians view the proposal to enact an Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament – and how and why views on the proposal have evolved and changed since we first surveyed on the topic late in 2022.

We also work on a weekly basis with the Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research at the University of Melbourne to develop questionnaires that delve directly into what Australians are dealing with in the present days. In recent years responses to the pandemic and reactions to vaccinations and boosters have been central themes whereas today we have moved on to analysing how Australians are coping with high inflation and rising interest rates. The expertise of the team at Melbourne Institute is vital to gaining the most value out of this important research led by the excellent work of Professor A. Abigail Payne.

Our ongoing partnership with the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) provides keen insights into the minds of consumers confronting the rising prices we have been seeing over the last 18 months and we keep a keen eye on shopping and spending trends in key consumer markets – online, food, clothing and footwear, department stores, household goods, furniture and electrical and other retailing are all key sub-groups that we track intently. I would like to thank Paul Zahra, Fleur Brown, Mariela Zaharija, Amy Melsom and Rowan Forster at the ARA.

The work we do with ANZ Bank to track the consumer sentiment via the weekly ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Index, which includes Inflation Expectations, is the most up-to-date measure of consumer sentiment available in the market and we work closely with the excellent Adelaide Timbrell, Madeline Dunk and Catherine Birch – all top-notch economists.

On the Roy Morgan front we have recently held our annual Customer Satisfaction Awards that paid tribute to those businesses and brands around Australia that deliver the best customer satisfaction on a consistent basis. Several well-known brands took home awards including Bunnings, JB Hi-Fi, Commonwealth Bank, Myer, Costco, Muffin Break, Chemist Warehouse, Subway, AustralianSuper, Rebel, ALDI, Singapore Airlines and others.

We are also gearing up for our annual Trusted Brand Awards in late October which promises to be an excellent night celebrating the companies and brands which have the highest levels of trust in the competitive Australian landscape. The pandemic provided a huge challenge to many companies – but it was also an opportunity for those companies and brands with high trust to excel. Similarly, the current conditions of high inflation and rising interest rates present their own challenges and opportunities as well.

There is so much to look forward to that it’s hard to narrow things down to one or two!

Julian will be speaking at the Comms and Social Media Summit 2023. Catch his session by registering your slot today.

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Paulo Rizal
Paulo Rizal
Paulo Rizal is a content producer for Comms Room. He writes content around popular media, journalism, social media, and more.