It's that time of year, so forget the chicken, bring out the Turkey!

Time is money and we can end up wasting a huge amount of time in PR as we develop campaigns and communication strategies that end up never seeing the light of day.

The range and scale can be incredibly varied. A PR Comms Manager or Chief Executive who is full of ideas and enthusiasm, and just wants the PR team “to make it happen.”

In the absence of a device that allows us to dip into the minds of these people and take a picture of the ideas they have in their head (yet), and more often in the absence of a clear and definitive plan - a creative concept runs the risk of being misunderstood from the outset. This can waste large amounts of time in misplaced planning and delivery by the PR team before the reality is recognised as different from what was once imagined.  

The net effect of this misstep is that the initial ideas created, discussed, and conveyed to others to run with, do not match the resulting output or meet the satisfaction of the creator or more importantly, the client.

This lack of PR productivity is incredibly common throughout the world of PR, Comms and Marketing departments. I’d even go so far as to say across many, if not all business departments. So, until Elon Musk advances the development of Neuralink and allows us to see into each other's minds… we will continue to use the humble ‘chicken test’. Or seeing as it’s almost Christmas - a Turkey test! 

What is a Chicken Test? (And yes, I have become my mentor) 

The original idea was ‘cooked up’ by Tom Peters who, in his prime, was one of the business world’s most coveted management consultants - think Simon Sinek or his era. To explain to business leaders when they should stop and check before continuing he used the following analogy. When a jet engine is being designed and built, the engineers know that they must perform a “chicken test” at some point in the development cycle, before the engine can go into production.

Which is this - can a jet engine cope with a bird strike mid-flight and still keep performing? If it fails then the engineers have to go back to the drawing board and redesign the whole engine, wasting millions of pounds of development time before coming back to repeat the same test. 

The aerospace industry developed a huge air gun large enough to fire a whole dead chicken across an aircraft hangar into a running jet engine. This became known as the "chicken test" and was the critical test the engine had to pass before going to production. If the engine could not keep running after this simulated bird strike, it meant a disastrous and hugely time-consuming rework and redesign.

Test early, fail fast, rebuild and go again 

So what do dead chickens and jet engines have to do with PR campaign planning and execution? The takeaway is to test your concept as early as possible in the development cycle with the creator to make sure you’re on the right track. If it isn’t, you can quickly make adjustments and go again. If you wait until the end of the planning or even begin the execution and it’s not in line with what was initially thought then imagine the time and effort wasted as you go back to the ‘drawing board. Not to mention the disappointment from the Account Director or the client. 

If a concept isn’t going to fly, then you need to know sooner rather than later, so that you don’t waste too much time.

Massive projects and campaigns can end up in very time-consuming reworks and rethinks as a project does not reach its target objectives. However, if you run a ‘chicken test’ early, get feedback to correct and keep on track the creator can input regularly as the idea becomes a reality and they are able to realise their vision.

The person or team responsible for developing a PR or Communications campaign must deliver a minimum viable product as quickly as possible. It doesn’t have to have all the bells and whistles on it. After all, an amazing campaign presentation, beautifully laid out and carefully crafted, that does not deliver the final impact that the creator envisaged is a waste of time.

How does a Chicken Test work in the world of B2B Tech PR? 

The simplest route in many situations is to map out a PR or Communications campaign that includes the objectives, tactics, milestones and checkpoints to review and present this back at an early stage. This can save a huge amount of effort in gaining approval or further input from the campaign leader. It will save you and your business vast amounts of time and money. If you follow these simple steps, you won’t go far wrong

• Do your chicken test as early as you can.
• Repeat back what you’ve understood.
• Get approval or receive the right course correction. 
• Develop your campaign further, and repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 until you’re ready to launch!