Evaluating Public Relations

Global surveys have identified that evaluation is the current major professional research issue. Clients of PR firms are seeking greater evidence of the impact of campaigns and programmes, which in turn is leading to a greater demand for information on evaluation methods.Evaluating Public Relations comprises nine chapters which start with theoretical perspectives and then demonstrate the design and implementation of a range of PR research and evaluation methods. It is illustrated by award-winning case studies from around the world and concludes with consideration of future developments. Most chapters are supplemented by interviews with leading PR practitioners and responses to a survey of leading practitioners around the worldwide.

Fully revised and updated, the second edition of this book allows practitioners to more closely monitor and evaluate their campaigns and helps them develop more robust campaign strategies.

Evaluating Public Communication addresses the widely reported lack of rigorous outcome and impact-oriented evaluation in advertising; public relations; corporate, government, political and organizational communication and specialist fields, such as health communication. This transdisciplinary analysis integrates research literature from each of these fields of practice, as well as interviews, content analysis and ethnography, to identify the latest models and approaches. Chapters feature: • a review of 30 frameworks and models that inform processes for evaluation in communication, including the latest recommendations of industry bodies, evaluation councils and research institutes in several countries; • recommendations for standards based on contemporary social science research and industry initiatives, such as the IPR Task Force on Standards and the Coalition for Public Relations Research Standards; • an assessment of metrics that can inform evaluation, including digital and social media metrics, 10 informal research methods and over 30 formal research methods for evaluating public communication; • evaluation of public communication campaigns and projects in 12 contemporary case studies. Evaluating Public Communication provides clear guidance on theory and practice for students, researchers and professionals in PR, advertising and all fields of communication.

This book will provide the business reader with the necessary understanding of the problems and promises of public relations research, measurement, and evaluation and the public relations practitioner as guide to effective use of methods, measures, and evaluation in providing grounded evidence of the success (or failure) of public relations campaigns.

Responding to the increasing need in academia and the public relations profession, this volume presents the current state of knowledge in public relations measurement and evaluation. The book brings together ideas and methods that can be used throughout the world, and scholars and practitioners from the United States, Europe, Asia, and Africa are represented.

Operating under tight budget constraints and with an ever-increasing range of tools and technologies to choose from, PR professionals have never been under so much pressure to justify their decisions. Evaluating Public Relations advises PR practitioners at all levels on how to demonstrate clearly and objectively the impact that their work has to their clients and managers. The authors draw on both their practical and academic experience to discuss a diverse range of evaluation methods and strategies. This fully updated edition of Evaluating Public Relations includes coverage and advice on the industry standards on PR measurement. Covering both theory and practice and containing case studies on Philips, Pepsi, St John Ambulance, Medicare and Westminster City Council, it is an essential handbook for both students and experienced practitioners.

1:Principles of Public Relations Practice 2:Evaluation and Communication Psychology 3:Practitioner Culture - Why We Do What We Do 4:Gathering and Interpreting Information 5:Evaluation Structures and Processes 6:Developing a Media Evaluation System 7:Evaluation in Practice: Case Studies 8:Objectives and Objective Setting 9:Future.

Contemporary public relations practice has developed over the last several decades from the weak third sister in marketing, advertising, and public relations mix to a full player. To help you keep up to speed with the exciting changes and developments of publications, this book has been updated to provide you with the necessary understanding of the problems and promises of public relations research, measurement, and evaluation. As a public relations professional, this book will guide you through the effective use of methods, measures, and evaluation in providing grounded evidence of the success (or failure) of public relations campaigns. This third edition takes a best practices approach-one that focuses on choosing the appropriate method and rigorously applying that method to collect the data that best answers the objectives of the research. It also presents an approach to public relations that emphasizes the profession's impact on the client's return on investment in the public relations function, the measurement of social media and the use of standardized measures.