By Mark Weiner
Companies and PR professionals who enjoy the benefits of research and evaluation begin by embracing the process fully: They relish their victories because their wins are
validated and can be merchandized more credibly to those who fund PR programs. They also understand that uncovering shortfalls is a natural result of the process, especially in
the beginning, but at least such shortfalls can be isolated and corrected. As a result, these well-informed practitioners lead with confidence and certainty.
So, why don't more people use research and measurement? PR people have many reasons for not conducting proper research. Some of the more common objections follow, along with my
responses.
*The costs will outweigh the benefits. What will we find that we didn't already know? Sure, a level of investment is required to undertake a serious and rigorous public
relations research program. But the better question might be, "What is the cost of not proving and improving your value when your competitors are proving and improving theirs?"
Consider the case of P&G, who found that by applying media content analysis through sophisticated marketing mix models, the positive ROI of PR could be quantified. The ROI
far exceeded expectations and P&G, arguably the greatest marketing power on the planet, adjusted its marketing and PR approach to generate an even better ROI.
If you could avoid a billion-dollar market-cap drop or add millions of dollars in sales in exchange for spending only 2% of your annual PR budget to provide the required
guidance, the question wouldn't be "Why do it?" --the questions would be "How often can I do it?" and "how soon can I get started?"
*This will be a lot of work for senior management. It's true that instituting a research-based public relations program can be time-consuming and has to be undertaken at
relatively high levels within the organization. But the definition process is one that provides an enormous opportunity to learn and prioritize, and once the criteria are defined,
they won't change very often. And within large organizations with multiple divisions, some metrics are applicable across all units, especially those tied to the overall goals and
objectives of the organization.
*The results will be used against us. Sure, some wrongheaded bosses may use the results to punish the department, just as it may be true that poor results may yield
unpleasantness. But can you imagine the boss who'd rather you not endeavor to improve or who would fault you for trying?
Also keep in mind that using the results as a scorecard isn't what PR research and measurement is about; it's about having the feedback you need to do a better job and to
support your efforts. And, yes, sometimes the results will reveal failure--but it's better to learn and improve than to ignore the results altogether. Successful organizations
enjoy enormous advantages: take the necessary steps to be a member of that elite club.
*Management will misinterpret the results. Rather than providing a basis for misuse or misunderstanding, the research-based PR process translates the insular language of public
relations into the language of business, a lexicon that executives understand. And with a common vernacular, the results can be understood and validated by a much broader spectrum
of marketing and communication investment decision-makers.
Also keep in mind that the main purpose of research-based public relations is to deliver the power of PR against the organization's overall goals and objectives, rather than as
a scorecard of individual performance.
*Management, and even colleagues, lack the interest and expertise to support the research we need to prove ROI. A 2004 IABC membership survey found that almost 85% of all
respondents agreed with the proposition, "Lack of internal and budgetary resources is the biggest obstacle when attempting to demonstrate communications ROI." The answer to how
one sells research internally can be surprisingly straightforward:
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Advocate ROI thinking for PR within your organization.
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Speak to internal clients once each year about the PR activities, professional attributes and measures they value.
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Constantly and consistently communicate with internal clients to document success and demonstrate a commitment to improvement.
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Develop learning experiences to equip staff and internal clients with the insight and knowledge they need to understand what public relations ROI means.
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Set the pace in emphasizing the need for good research and evaluation and others will get the message. Having a practical expert on staff can jump-start the initiative
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Don't perpetuate the myth that PR can't be measured. CEOs and other senior execs know better.
Turning around long-standing practices may not be quick and easy, but it can be done.
*They will hold us to inappropriate or unfair standards. If you properly initiate the process, you will have as much to say about the standards as anyone else (objectives-
setting, remember, is a process driven by the common goal to set objectives that are reasonable, meaningful, and measurable). Having these metrics set in advance almost eliminates
the risk of being unfairly or inappropriately evaluated later on, at which time there is little or nothing you can do about it.
*It's too expensive. We can't afford it. Many paths lead to the summit, but all of them begin with a single step: It would be much better to start small than to never begin.
You can find many low-cost and even do-it-yourself approaches that provide insight and guidance, and it's better to be partially right than totally in the dark. And what's the
cost of not making the investment? It's not just the potential for lost sales or lower market cap. In most cases the costs are much more routine: wasted resources going toward
initiatives that could easily have been avoided. PRN
(This is an excerpt from the forthcoming PR News Measurement Guidebook.
To view available guidebooks, visit http://www.prnewsonline.com.)
CONTACT:
Mark Weiner is a research-based consultant and the author of "Unleashing the Power of PR: A Contrarian's Guide to Marketing and Communication." He can be reached at [email protected].