1. Public Relations Strategies and Tactics Tenth Edition
Dennis L. Wilcox
Glen T. Cameron
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2. Chapter 8
Evaluation
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3. Chapter 8 Objectives Understand the purpose of evaluation
Know the key elements of objectives
Distinguish the measurement of different communication components
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4. The Purpose of Evaluation
The fourth step in the public relations process is evaluation
The systematic assessment of a program and its results
A means for practitioners to offer accountability to clients—and to themselves
Reasons for evaluation
Desire to do a better job next time
Adoption of the management-by-objectives system
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5. Objectives: A Prerequisite for Evaluation.
It is important to have a clearly established set of measurable objectives
Public relations personnel and management should agree on the criteria used to evaluate success
Don’t wait until the end of the public relations program to determine how it will be evaluated
If the objective is informational…
If the objective is motivational…
Instructor Notes:
If the objective is informational… measurement techniques must show how successfully information was communicated to target audiences
QUESTION FOR STUDENTS: What do they not measure? ANSWER: The effect on attitudes or overt behavior/action
If the objective is motivational… these are more difficult to accomplish – need to prove that public relations efforts (and not other factors like marketing) was responsible for success. It is best to show a cause and effect relationship that starts with a baseline measurement
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6. Current Status of Measurement and Evaluation
A trend to a more systematic approach to evaluation
Some still believe that public relations is more art than science
Public relations professionals should use a mix of techniques to provide a more complete evaluation
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7. There are at least three levels of measurement and evaluation
Instructor Notes:
There are at least three levels of measurement and evaluation
Basic level: compilations of message distribution and media placement
Intermediate level: more sophisticated techniques are required – measurement of audience awareness, comprehension, and retention of the message
Advanced level: measurement of changes in attitudes, opinions, and behavior
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8. Measurement of Production.
Elementary form of evaluation
Counts the number of news releases, feature stories, photos, guest editorials, blog postings, etc. created, published, or produced
This type of evaluation is skewed because it measures quantity not quality
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9. Measurement of Message Exposure
The most widely practiced form of evaluating public relations programs is the compilation “clips”
Media impressions
Tracking internet visitors
Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE)
Systematic tracking
Requests and 800 numbers
Return on Investment (ROI)
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10. Measurement of Audience Awareness
Determines if the audience
Actually became aware of the message
Understood the message
Survey research
Day-after recall
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11. Measurement of Audience Attitudes
Changes in an audience’s perceptions and attitudes can be evaluated using pre- and post- measurements of attitudes
Impact of intervening variables
Statistical analysis of variance
Baseline studies graphically show the percentage difference in attitudes and opinions as a result of increased information and publicity
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12. Measurement of Audience Action
The ultimate objective of any public relations effort is to accomplish organizational objectives
The ultimate objective of a company is to sell its products and services
Raising awareness and interest is important, but ultimately, the goal is to motivate people to adopt an idea, vote, use a service or buy a product
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13. Measurement of Supplemental Activities
Communication audits
Pilot tests and split messages
Meeting and event attendance
Newsletter readership
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14. Communication Audits
All communication activity of an organization should be assessed (audited) at least once a year
Could include the following
Analysis of all communication activity
Informal interviews with rank-and-file employees, middle management, and top executives
Informal interviews with community leaders, media gatekeepers, consumers, distributors, and other influential person in the industry
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15. Pilot Tests and Split Messages
Companies test the message and key copy points in selected cities to learn how
Media accept the message
The public reacts
The split-message approach is common in direct mail campaigns
Two or three different appeals may be prepared by an organization and sent to different audiences
Objective: to learn which is most effective
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16. Meeting and Event Attendance
Attendance can be a indication of people exposed to the message
Audience attitudes can also be evaluated by analyzing behavior at the event
Evaluation forms provide a more systematic method of evaluating what participants think
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17. Newsletter Readership
Readership should be evaluated annually
Evaluation can help ascertain
Reader perceptions
The degree to which stories are balanced
The kinds of stories that have high reader interest
Additional topics that should be covered
The credibility of the publication
The extent to which the newsletter is meeting organizational objectives
Instructor Notes:
Remember that systematic evaluation is not based on whether all the copies of a newsletter have been distributed or picked up. This information doesn’t tell the editor what the audience actually read, retained, or acted upon
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18. Newsletter Readership Cont…
Content analysis
Readership-interest surveys
Article recall
Advisory boards
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