“We thought that with Trump out of office that the activists would take a hiatus and not be so engaged. But everybody we talk to is more engaged than ever – they’re just doubling down on what they already believe.”

 

Fred Cook, Chairman, Golin and Director, USC Center for Public Relations, is talking at the AMEC Virtual Global Summit on Measurement about the polarisation on issues that has become an inescapable facet of public life – and one that seemingly isn’t going away.

 

Indeed, in a USC poll cited by Fred, PR professionals can only expect increased scrutiny from activists, consumers and employees, and a greater focus on CEOs and the stances they take on societal issues. The current most polarising issues in the US: climate change and racial inequality.

 

Cook suggests that this is a communications problem – and his solution? “Who better to solve a communications problem than the communications industry?”

 

This inspiration led to the launch of Golin’s first Polarization Index, a proprietary PR tool developed in conjunction with Zignal Labs and USC Annenberg. This data-driven tool will reveal how polarised society is at this moment in time, on a wide variety of issues.

 

Based on an algorithm that analyses how millions of media stories are transmitted through political echo chambers, the Polarization Index will help communications professionals understand and navigate the increasingly complex issues facing their companies and clients. Focusing on the most controversial topics of the day, the Index will help brands anticipate emerging issues and develop positioning and messaging in real time.

 

Fred and his co-presenter Jonny Bentwood, Global Head of Analytics and Data, Golin, are transparent about the methodology behind the quarterly-updated Index. It takes in millions of pieces of published data from top US media outlets, combined with insights from 331,000 individuals who have engaged with the news on social media.

 

“I like to think of this as something like the Retail Price Index,” suggests Jonny. “Just as with that Index you’ve got a basket full of goods, with our Index we’ve got basket full of issues.”