Posts tagged ‘communication evaluation’
New article – PR Measurement and Evaluation Practices Over the Course of 40 Years
Here is a brand new article (it’s a chapter from a book*) by Fraser Likely and Tom Watson entitled “Measuring the Edifice – PR Measurement and Evaluation Practices Over the Course of 40 Years”.
It provides an excellent overview of developments in the last 40 years and the challenges currently faced in PR measurement and evaluation. A summary from the authors:
“Public relations measurement and evaluation practices have been major subjects for practitioners and academician research from the late 1970s onwards. This chapter will commence with a brief survey of the historical evolution of the research into these practices. Then, we will discuss James E. Grunig’s enduring contribution to their theorization, particularly with financial and non-financial indicators of public relations value. Next, we will consider the current debate on financial indicators, focusing on Return on Investment and alternative methods of financial vlauation. Finally, we will look to the future at the measurement and evaluation practices that will attract academic and practitioner research interest.”
View the article/chapter in full (pdf)>>
*Note: Fraser and Tom’s chapter, “Measuring the Edifice: Public Relations Measurement and Evaluation Practice Over the Course of 40 Years (pp. 143-162)” comes from a “festschrift” (a celebratory book) for Professors Jim and Lauri Grunig – two renowned PR Gurus – which was edited by Professors Krishnamurthy Sriramesh and Ansgar Zerfass and Dr Jeong-Nam Kim. The book’s title is Public Relations and Communication Management: Current Trends and Emerging Topics. It is published by Routledge.
The PR Agency Of The Future – measurement and data!
Paul Holmes of the Holmes Report has written a very interesting article on what he sees as key to the future of the PR agency.
For those interested in PR measurement, what is reassuring is the focus he puts on the need for the better use of data and measurement by agencies. I’m always surprised to see how little PR agencies do in measurement – so any more uptake of evaluation and measurement would be welcome.
Here is a summary of some key points:
- Big data at the center: Sufficient evidence suggests data and analytics can have a powerful effect on communications. There has been an incremental increase in the use of data to drive PR efforts, but the progression is minimal.
- Insight to drive meaningful creativity: Strong data will lead to better insights, giving way to creative PR ideas that effectively solve real world problems. Don’t assume your experience is enough to make a good campaign – use data.
- Understanding the human brain: To better understand how to change behaviors and attitudes, PR pros should read and listen to neuroscientists like David Eagleman. After all, PR is a social science.
- Recruiting differently: Practitioners who understand and even love data exist, but firms need to recruit a broader, more digestive range of people to find them. Seemingly unrelated disciplines should not be ruled out.
- Make it matter: To ensure communications efforts pay off in business terns, every campaign, every stakeholder group, and every advance in how we apply data and science can and should be measured.
Surveys for communicators
Increasingly communicators need the ability to evaluate their activities – being able to design and set-up online surveys is a key tool for communicators for soliciting feedback and interacting with audiences. Here are the slides from a practical workshop that I conducted last Friday for the Geneva Communicators Network and covers surveys for communicators from concept to analysis – hope it’s of use!
Evaluating Government Communication Activity
The UK Government Communication Network have produced a new publication: “Evaluating Government Communication Activity – standards and guidance” (pdf).
The publication sums up well an approach for government departments (and also applicable to others) to evaluating communication activities. The annex on Recommended Metrics provides some interesting indicators for measuring communication activities – for government and other sectors.
Overall spending on PR flat but evaluation up by 5%
Spending on PR/communications in companies and organisations is flat – but spending on communication evaluation is up by 5%, according to a new study of senior-level PR/communication practitioners in the USA.
The USC Annenberg’s Generally Accepted Practices (GAP) for Public Relations study found that compared to 2009, total spending on evaluation in PR/communication budgets jumped from 4% to 9% in 2012 – even when some 80% of practitioners reported overall PR/communication budgets flat or decreasing.
The study also found a shift in focus towards “outcome” measures, such as influence on reputation, attitudes and awareness – and away from “output” measures such as clip counting/media coverage.
intelligent measurement 