PR News Measurement Survey: Awareness of Barcelona Principles Trending Upward Slowly

Is the glass half empty or half full? That’s the dilemma raised by the latest PR News survey about measurement practices. On the upside, more PR pros appear to be relying on measurement than previously. The flip side is the pace toward a more analytical mindset is incremental.

Released at the PR News Measurement Conference in Washington, D.C., last week, 42% of those responding said they’d heard of the Barcelona Principles. It was the highest percentage answering that question in the affirmative since PR News began asking this question. Last November 34% told PR News they knew of the Principles; 32% said so in an April 2014 poll. The full survey results can be seen on page 3; 190 members of the PR News community responded to it earlier this month.

Another note in favor of the Principles: Nearly half (49%) of those surveyed said they “always” identify the “desired organizational outcomes” for their communications initiatives, “as opposed to PR goals like placements or impressions.” 44% said they “sometimes” do.