Does academic research matter to public relations practitioners? Do not be afraid. Come into the light with me, a non-PhD practitioner who finds value in academic research. In the weeks ahead, I will seek out quality academic and other research, drawing insights for communications practitioners. When activists target an organization, typically the corporate communications function is on point for a response. The challenge is to understand the gap between activist demands and corpora ...

The 9th Annual North American Summit on Public Relations Measurement recently concluded. The Summit featured excellent presentations by Yahoo!, Johnson & Johnson, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and Conagra and Blue Marble Enterprises; panel and discussion sessions on outputs and outcomes and on standards; and pre-conference workshops covering a research and measurement boot camp, social media measurement, st ...

In a reflection of our maturity, research and evaluation are now routinely required by public relations investment underwriters. As a result, the question of “should we measure?” has been supplanted by “how much should we spend to measure?” The conventional wisdom of marketing and communication has long governed that “ten percent for research” is the right number, a number which, by the way,  is several times greater than the average.  But, like so many imperatives, the ten perc ...

By: Tom Watson, Ansgar Zerfass and James Grunig Measuring Return on Investment has been a hot topic, as public relations seeks to demonstrate its contribution to building organizational value. How can this managerial concept be applied to public relations? Professors Tom Watson, Ansgar Zerfass, and James Grunig add to the debate. ‘ROI’ IN PUBLIC RELATIONS: A DIALOGUE Since publishing research (...

One of the characteristics of the world that motivates me is our “interconnectedness;” or our “interdependence.”  If you accept that people across the world – people like you and me – have many ...

Kudos to Barry Leggetter and AMEC for launching a collaborative effort to create global social media standards.  “It is always the marketplace that drives the demand for standards, whether it is the standard format for DVDs or standards for public relations research,” says David Geddes, who chairs IPR’s Commission on Public Relations Measurement and Evaluation.  Next w ...

Prof Tom Watson of Bournemouth University in England, talks about the International History of Public Relations Conference (IHPRC), which was held recently. I’m now breathi ...

Is that an easy question or a provocative one?  Most public relations professionals would automatically say that the PR function should report directly to the CEO.  It would be akin blasphemy to suggest otherwise would it not? However, with PR rising in such importance in organizations, a debate has emerged over where it should sit.  CMOs and the senior-most marketing leaders are fairly unanimous that at least part of the PR function should reside within marketing departments, and in many ...

As I was planning my summer reading, I decided to read through the classic white papers issued by the Institute for Public Relations Commission on Measurement and Evaluation. Yes, it is true, just ask my wife. The Commission was created to advocate for PR research, promote best practices and standards, and educate PR researchers and practitioners. The creation and distribution of white papers was a tactic to meet this goal. ...

This is David Geddes, chair of the Institute for Public Relations Commission on Measurement and Evaluation. Today I am talking with David Michaelson, Ph.D., founder of David Michaelson & Company, a provider of research, planning & strategy services for marketing commun ...