Measuring PR: Outcomes - what impact is the communication having?

Published 2004

One critical aim of PR is to influence an environment to achieve change.

The perception is that measurement of PR is either not possible or simply too difficult.  Not so.  Measurement of PR is alive and well - especially internationally - and many organisations use it.

The first and most basic form of PR measurement -‘Outputs’ - was covered in a previous issue of PR Influences.

‘Outputs’ measure the effectiveness of the work done.  It enables an analysis of those reached by the communication. It is possible to track whether the right message was conveyed. And the cost effectiveness of the communication can be measured.

Many organisations routinely set-up procedures internally - or from their agency - to measure outputs.

This is relatively easy to do because output measurement can be done internally by those handling the communication.  And for organisations that are not doing any measurement at all it can be a real step forward, providing useful benchmarking information.

The ‘Outcomes’ from PR activity that organisation normally seek to measure are:

• Did we create greater awareness (ie what new information was received)?

• Did our audience comprehend what we were communicating (ie did their level of understanding increase from what it was before)?

• Did we change attitudes (ie what do they believe and feel that they didn’t before we began communication)?

• Did our target audience change their behaviour as a result of our communication (ie what did they actually do that was different from before)?

Communication theory says that audiences must be taken through each of the above stages sequentially and that communication programs must be designed accordingly.

Therefore the key to successful measurement is to have clear goals at each stage in the process.  Setting goals is a task that not only needs careful consideration, but also ‘buy-in’ from management.

It requires:

• A clear definition of who you are trying to reach.

• Knowledge about the existing levels of audience awareness, comprehension, attitudes and behaviour.

• An agreement on how much you are trying to change the audience - by a small amount or in a radical way.

• A timetable to achieve the changes that is acceptable to management.

The research techniques for measuring outcomes are similar to those used in  marketing programs including:

• focus groups

• exit interviews post events

• omnibus surveys

• full quantitative surveys

However it’s also possible to include more quantifiable techniques e.g:

• how many attended an event, or took an action that was directly linked to the program

• increases in the time a service was used

• increases in activities by target audiences as they relate to the project

In Australia, measurement of ‘Outcomes’ is not as widespread as overseas, largely because the cost of measuring outcomes is often too high relative to the cost of the PR program.  Also within marketing, research is heavily weighted towards advertising-led market research.

But the often heard criticism that PR can’t be measured simply doesn’t hold water any more.  It can. The issue is whether those commissioning PR want to spend the additional funds doing it.

In a subsequent issue of PR Influences we will examine the third aspect of