NEW YORK, March 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Recognizing the need for more quantifiable measurement of clients' return on their public relations investments, leading global PR agency Ketchum has partnered with Omnicom marketing research agency The Modellers to create a unique global marketing analytics offering. The data provided by Ketchum and The Modellers will quantify for clients the dollar-value return on their public relations investment and, therefore, help them determine the portion of their marketing budget that should be allocated to public relations to maximize the effectiveness of their programs.

Through the partnership, Ketchum and The Modellers offer products and services that enable clients to assign a value to the ROI of public relations efforts, including marketing-mix modeling, brand equity driver analysis and discrete choice models. These are offered in addition to the Ketchum Global Research & Analytics proprietary suite of measurement tools, which include Ketchum Zocalo Social Intelligence, Brandbuilder, Ketchum Media Optimizer and Target Insights Panels.

"With analytics at the forefront of our industry and a key priority for Ketchum in 2012 and beyond, we committed to identifying a top partner that could help us add even greater value to the work we do for our clients," said Raymond L. Kotcher, senior partner and CEO, Ketchum. "With the expertise and insights from The Modellers' data, we can provide our clients with strategic communications guidance about their marketing budgets."

The partnership will be led by David Rockland, Ph.D., partner and managing director, Ketchum Global Research & Analytics; Mary Elizabeth Germaine, SVP, Ketchum Global Research & Analytics; and Jeff Brazell, Ph.D., CEO of The Modellers.

Of the partnership, Rockland said, "While our counterparts in advertising, customer relationship management and some of the other marketing communication disciplines have had the ability to quantifiably measure their work for some time, PR agencies didn't have a clear path forward until the Barcelona Principles were introduced in 2010. With this partnership, we are now able to accurately evaluate the effectiveness of programs we're executing on behalf of our clients relative to other marketing disciplines. Having hard data also will help us provide better counsel to our clients about increasing or toning down their messages, changing their channels, or targeting certain audiences or influencers."

Brazell said, "For years, marketing decision-makers have been using ROI analyses to help evaluate and prioritize marketing dollars, but public relations efforts have traditionally not been included in this process. As a result, marketers have not been able to precisely assign a PR budget. Now marketers can clearly see the value of PR alongside other marketing disciplines with this new approach to market-mix modeling, which more accurately measures the true impact of PR on marketing outcomes and allows us to more effectively allocate future marketing budgets."

The partnership between Ketchum and The Modellers has been engaged in client projects for several months, including the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, where the teams are working to determine the effectiveness of various marketing initiatives in driving leads to the organization.

About Ketchum 
Ketchum is a leading global communications firm with operations in more than 70 countries across six continents. Named 2012 PR Agency of the Year (PRWeek) and the winner of an unprecedented three consecutive PRWeek Campaign of the Year Awards, Ketchum partners with clients to deliver strategic programming, game-changing creative and measurable results that build brands and reputations. For more information on Ketchum, a unit of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), visit www.ketchum.com.

About The Modellers
The Modellers, an Omnicom company, are leaders in applying advanced analytics and predictive modeling to today's difficult marketing challenges. The Modellers are best known for their work on ROI, marketing-mix modeling, product and line optimizations, pricing, brand strategy, and segmentation in the technology, CPG, financial services, pharmaceutical, entertainment, automotive, advertising and PR, and travel and tourism industries. Their clients are predominately Fortune 500 companies. The Modellers have offices in Princeton, Dallas, Minneapolis, Chicago, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and Seattle.

About Diversified Agency Services
Diversified Agency Services (DAS), a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com), manages Omnicom's holdings in a variety of marketing communications disciplines. DAS includes over 200 companies, which operate through a combination of networks and regional organizations, serving international and local clients through more than 700 offices in 71 countries.

SOURCE Ketchum