Sharing his journey in understanding the value and role of research as an underutilized source of learning, IPR Treasurer Gary Sheffer, vice president, communications and public affairs for General Electric, gave the opening keynote presentation at the PRSA and PRIME Research Strategic Corporate Communications and Research Conference in New York City on May 15-16. “We … Continue reading GE’s 15-Year Journey: Using Research to Protect Reputation, Enhance Culture and Drive Change
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This is a summary of a paper presented at this year’s International PR Research Conference. It received a “Top Three Paper for Practical Significance” award from the Institute for Public Relations. I’m a public relations pro trying to run his own business and help clients achieve their objectives. Social media companies that claim to … Continue reading Measuring Influence: 3 Paths That Research Supports →
At this year’s International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC) 108 papers were presented on a range of topics from social media measurement to new trends in corporate social responsibility. The presented research shared new insights for practitioners across the globe to apply in the practice of public relations. Tom Watson, Professor of Public Relations at … Continue reading Key Lessons from this year’s IPRRC →
This is my second installment on research. I just spent a wonderful three days directing the 16th Annual International Public Relations Research Conference and chairing my first meeting of the IPR Measurement Commission. Although I am not going to report here on either, on reflection I find that a focus on basic research is needed … Continue reading Stacks on Research →
The past few decades represent a mix of progress and stagnation in the field of public relations measurement, research and analysis. While a core group of research experts and interested parties work hard to elevate the “science beneath the art,” practitioners have been slow to respond. Given the amount of measurement-specific resources available to the … Continue reading Public Relations Research and Measurement: Are CPMs a Way Forward? →
The Institute for Public Relations Measurement Commission has been the organizer of the Measurement Summit each autumn for about the last decade. Throughout most of those years the Summit has been held at venues in and around Portsmouth, New Hampshire just as the autumn color emerges. The event has always benefited from that rich set … Continue reading View from the Summit →
At an Institute for Public Relations Board meeting earlier this month, Trustee Maril MacDonald suggested that IPR might provide guidance to practitioners on how to identify bad research. That could be a mission in itself for IPR. But I decided to start by asking our Research Fellows what they would advise. Here is the wisdom … Continue reading Spotting Bad Research →
When anyone asks why standards are important, I cite a recent conversation with a client. It started with what seemed a simple question: “Are we able to see how many people saw the stories, and how do you calculate reach?” A dozen emails later, we finally sorted out that what the client called reach, we … Continue reading Social Media Measurement Standards – Everything You Need to Know →

More and more organizations need to measure their media coverage globally, but how can they do this cost effectively? This paper takes a very granular approach to helping the reader define business goals and objectives; determine suitable measures; analyze media content needs; evaluate dashboard systems; determine language and analysis processes; develop measurement scorecards; select provider … Continue reading International Media Analysis Made Simple →

June 2012 – Organizations engage in traditional media relations for many reasons and their objectives for analyzing the media coverage may be similarly varied. Media coverage can serve as a proxy for public perception and is relatively inexpensive and accessible. Public relations professionals apply media analysis to help demonstrate the value of PR, provide insights … Continue reading Proposed Interim Standards for Metrics in Traditional Media Analysis →

This statement of ethical standards and guidelines for public relations research was developed by a team of the Institute for Public Relations Measurement Commission headed by Shannon Bowen, Ph.D, John Gilfeather and Brad Rawlins, Ph.D. This statement was approved by the IPR Measurement Commission on March 7, 2012. This is a discussion document that will … Continue reading Ethical Standards and Guidelines for Public Relations Research and Measurement →
I have a blog post published May 29th at CommPro.BIZ, “Seeing Is Believing — Why PR People Should Take Infographics More Seriously.” I make two related arguments. I contest that PR people generally have fallen behind other marketing and analytical disciplines in their understanding and use of big data, both for understanding challenges and for … Continue reading PR Needs to Grapple with the Implications — and Power — of Big Data and Images →
I’ve been on the front lines of PR measurement for over 10 years in my role at General Motors. In that time, I’ve sat through more vendor pitches than I care to remember and watched many squirm uncomfortably as I poked at the black box that is their particular proprietary methodology. To make matters worse, … Continue reading The Case for Standards in PR Measurement →

2005 – The premise of the authors is that the media content analysis methods commonly in use fail to address the fundamental information needs of public relations professionals. Currently, public relations professionals rely on eight basic methods of content analysis. This paper reviews each of these methods and points out the fundamental flaws in each … Continue reading A New Model for Media Content Analysis →
The mission of the Institute for Public Relations (IPR) – developing the science beneath the art of public relations™ ‑ remains the guiding principle of the IPR Commission on Public Relations Measurement and Evaluation in turbulent yet exciting times for the field of research. Public relations and communications research, advertising research, and marketing research face … Continue reading Advancing PR Research →