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Can PR be measured?

This summary explores the importance of measuring PR effectiveness and the challenges PR practitioners face in conducting proper evaluation. It discusses various evaluation techniques and their benefits, as well as the impact of research in defining PR problems and assessing program success.

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Can PR be measured?

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  1. Can PR be measured? Richard Bailey

  2. Sixty second summary Managers say ‘if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it’. If you can’t or won’t measure PR, you don’t deserve a decent budget, a managerial role or salary. And PR will never be taken seriously as a business function.

  3. Evaluation of programmes • Aims of the lecture • Discuss the role of evaluation in PR programmes • Demonstrate some practical evaluation techniques

  4. What is evaluation? A form of research that determines the relative effectiveness of a public relations campaign or program by measuring program outcomes (changes in the level of awareness, understanding, attitudes, opinions and/or behaviours of a targeted audience or public) against a predetermined set of objectives that initially established the level or degree of change desired. Stacks (2007)

  5. Can PR be measured? • The problem: • Objective methods are required that deliver credible proof of results and “return on investment” to management, shareholders and other key stakeholders • The reality: PR is often poorly evaluated  low acceptance “Better no evaluation than bad evaluation”

  6. Why is PR not evaluated properly? (Watson 1994) • lack of time • lack of personnel • lack of budget • cost of evaluation • doubts about usefulness • lack of knowledge • can expose practitioner’s performance to criticism • aversion to scientific methodology

  7. Problems in evaluation • Understanding research • Setting (measurable) objectives • Understanding what can be achieved, realistic objectives • Multi-disciplined nature of public relations • Multi-step communication process

  8. Problems in evaluation Examples: • “To attract the attention of people” • What does “attention” mean? • What level of awareness currently exists? • Within what target audience is greater awareness required? • “To successfully launch a product or service” • What comprises a successful launch – and, therefore, what should be measured? • “To generate advertiser interest in The Phone Book” • What does interest mean? More adverts?

  9. AVEs and AVE nots • ‘Advertising Value Equivalent’ remains a popular form of media measurement • It’s quick, easy – and makes PR look very good (‘we generated £16,000 this month’) • What’s wrong with AVE?

  10. Payment-by-results • Sounds good for clients – you only pay for what you get, it will motivate PR consultants • But there are significant downsides (ethical implications)

  11. Benefits of evaluation • Focuses effort • Demonstrates effectiveness • Ensures cost-efficiency • Encourages good management • Facilitates accountability

  12. Use of research and evaluation • using research to define public relations problems • using research to assess public relations plans and proposals • using research during programme implementation • using research for programme impact

  13. Research and evaluation • Summative: after the programme – the results • Formative and summative: before and after • Time series: before, during and after

  14. What to measure - level of effects • Cognitive (‘I hear you’) • Affective (‘I understand you’) • Conative (‘Let me follow you’)

  15. What to measure - Common public relations objectives • Creating awareness (of company, product, person etc.) • Informing • Promoting understanding • Overcoming misunderstanding, apathy • Developing knowledge • Displacing prejudice • Encouraging belief • Confirming or adjusting perceptions • Prompting action

  16. Effects of communication Message Knowledge Attitude Behaviour Domino Domino Domino Domino From Grunig & Hunt (1984)

  17. What can be measured? • Output: publications, news releases, event attendance etc • Outtake: clippings, readership of publications, website hits • Outcome: awareness, understanding, behaviour

  18. Evaluation model Research methods Quantitative surveys Focus groups Interviews Response analysis Media content analysis Expert analysis Feedback Observations OUTCOME Changebehaviour Changeattitudes Understand messages Retain messages Messages in the media OUTTAKE Message presentation Message content Media selection OUTPUT Source: Macnamara

  19. Apple iPhone launch

  20. PRE process Audit: Where are we now? 1 5 Setting objectives: Where do we want to be? 2 Results: How did we do? 4 Strategy and plan: How do we get there? 3 Ongoing measurement: How are we doing?

  21. Unified model INPUT Planning and preparation OUTPUT Messages and targets IMPACT Awareness and information EFFECT Attitude and motivation Watson and Noble, 93 RESULT Behaviour and action

  22. Media evaluation system • Influence or tone • Message communicated • Prominence • Audience reached • Consultant/spokesman quoted • Type of article

  23. Key questions • Is the coverage positive or negative? • Are the media reporting key messages? • Which journalists/publications are reporting positively? • What is the source of the press coverage? • How are we doing v competitors? • Is coverage getting better or worse? • What are the emerging issues affecting our organisation?

  24. Dimensional model • Quantitative measures • Number of clippings • Volume of coverage (column centimetres) • Name checks • Key messages

  25. Dimensional model • Qualitative measures • Circulation/readership/viewers • Attribution (is whole clipping about company?) • Beneficial / neutral / adverse • Impact (headlines, photos, position on page)

  26. Dimensional model • Focus axes • Source (specific journalist or commentator) • Medium (specific publication or programme) • Media sector (national, local, trade)

  27. Dimensional model • Time axes • Historical comparison • Competitive comparison • Objectives comparison • Benchmarking

  28. Exam topics Information covered in class and in your readings eg: • Public relations and culture • PR planning models • Situational analysis • Ethics and professional practice • Situational theory of publics • Measurement and evaluation

  29. Exam practice question ‘The idea of Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE) has been around for many years… Yet the measure has many problems and it is important to anyone considering its use to consider both its strengths and its weaknesses.’ The Institute for Public Relations, 2003 You have been asked to write a paper for a client, who is a marketing director, on the strengths and weaknesses of AVEs as a form of public relations evaluation. What recommendations will you give on a suitable system of media evaluation?

  30. Sources • Tom Watson and Paul Noble (2nd ed 2007) Evaluating Public Relations, CIPR/Kogan Page • Rudiger Theilmann and Gyorgy Szondi (2006) Public relations research and evaluation in Exploring Public Relations • PR Books: Research and evaluation sources

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