All posts by Frank Ovaitt

Anecdotes and war stories account for much of our learning in public relations. Nothing wrong with that. Yet, a wealth of research-based knowledge exists to validate (or not) tales of “how I won the war” (or didn’t). Take crisis management and communications. Dr. Tim Coombs of Eastern Illinois University has produced a major baseline paper … Continue reading What Research Teaches Us About Crises →

“Baseline Study on Diversity Segments: The U.S. Hispanic Latino Market,” a new Institute paper by Rosanna Fiske, associate professor at Florida International University, provides a data-rich look at what research says about these audiences. The U.S. Hispanic/Latino market is now the largest minority segment in the country. Specifically, there are nearly 45 million Hispanics/Latinos, making … Continue reading Hispanic/Latino Study In Institute Baseline Series →

John V. Pavlik’s new paper, “Mapping the Consequences of Technology on Public Relations,” explores what research tells us about the impact of digital, networked technology on our work. Anecdotal learning – from case studies to water-cooler conversations – is important. But sometimes we need to ask about the real research base for things we think … Continue reading What We Think We Know About Technology and PR →

Management wants data. How can anybody think otherwise in a business world ruled by six sigma, key performance indicators, balanced scorecards, dashboards and ROI.

In 2006, an Institute for Public Relations survey identifying priority research topics put trust right at the top of the list. And what produces trust?

“Exploring the Link Between Share of Media Coverage and Business Outcomes,” the second of two papers by Angie Jeffrey (VMS), David Michaelson (David Michaelson & Company), and Don Stacks (University of Miami), builds on an earlier work that may be familiar to regular readers of this column. In that previous work, the authors convincingly demonstrated … Continue reading Your Share of Media Coverage →

“A new blog is created about once every two seconds. New videos are posted to YouTube even more frequently. Virtually everyone with a computer (98%) goes on line to search for information before making a purchase. Video search is taking over text search as the most popular form of searching. Politicians, marketers, and individuals are embracing new forms of social networking…at unprecedented levels.”

Marianne Eisenmann and Katie Paine have authored a new paper entitled “Measuring the Effectiveness of Speaker Programs.”

Rejoice. You can now cite proof that a media placement has the same effectiveness as advertising. But not more than that – at least not yet.

The New York Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America has issued a call for entries for the 2007 Big Apple Awards.

Most public relations practitioners intuitively believe in the power of media coverage to create the awareness, knowledge, interest and intent that is needed to achieve desired behaviors by target audiences.

The Professional Bond: Public Relations Education for the 21st Century is required reading for anyone who thinks that public relations professionalism matters: practitioners, educators, students and university administrators. This new report marks the fifth time that such curriculum guidelines have been issued. It is the work of the Commission on Public Relations Education, which includes … Continue reading The Professional Bond →