The Institute for Public Relations, in conjunction with the Commission on Public Relations Measurement & Evaluation, today announced that Porter Novelli and Watson Pharma, Inc. have won the 2006 Jack Felton Golden Ruler Award for excellence in public relations measurement and evaluation. The winning study is entitled “PRoof: Porter Novelli Key Message Assessment & Optimization.”
The study involved a public relations program for OXYTROL, a prescription medication for overactive bladder. Porter Novelli and Watson Pharma partnered with PRtrak, a division of VMS, to develop a media analysis approach that would demonstrate return on PR investment and help shape messaging strategy. In particular, the winning entry demonstrated that when news coverage includes key messages, there is a strong correlation with higher sales in the following quarter for this company.
The winning entry is now available as a measurement case study on the Institute’s free website, instituteforpr.org.
The award is unique for its singular focus on recognizing public relations campaigns or programs with clear, measurable objectives and innovative methods of evaluation. The award was renamed earlier this year to honor Jack Felton, former President and CEO of the Institute, who was instrumental in founding the measurement commission.
“The public relations industry continues to recognize the value of effective measurement and evaluation as an integral practice of the profession,” said Dr. David Michaelson, chair of awards committee. “The Jack Felton Golden Ruler Award and the case studies it produces are helping advance the science beneath the art of public relations.”
Frank Ovaitt, current president and CEO of the Institute, will present the award at the Summit on Measurement, September 27-29, 2006, in Portsmouth, NH. The Summit is an annual conference for communications measurement experts and corporate or agency professionals who want a more focused research strategy. To register, visit instituteforpr.org.
PR News and Holmes Report are media sponsors of the award. Additional sponsors include MetLife, a leading provider of insurance and other financial services; and VMS, a world leader in news monitoring and analysis services.
The Commission on Public Relations Measurement & Evaluation exists to establish standards and methods for public relations research and measurement, and to issue authoritative best-practices white papers. The Institute for Public Relations is an independent foundation dedicated to the science beneath the art of public relations. It exists to build and document research-based knowledge in the field of public relations, and to mainstream this knowledge by making it available and useful to practitioners, educators, researchers and the clients they serve.
