It has taken me two and a half years of
study, and a week of interning, to realise that measurement and evaluation of
PR efforts is not an insignificant, last minute endeavour.
I reflect back on the many PR plans that I
have completed in groups and the evaluation was always a one page section,
completed in a table, and delegated as an 'easy' task. However the significance
of this table's outcome and process goals, and the actions taken to measure
the success is what truly concretes the value PR has within the business
industry. Most importantly in a consultancy, your clients are retained through
great delivery, in addition to the perceived 'value for money' returned from a
PR strategy. The director of Devahasdin
PR, Sandra Devahasdin, shared with me a special pearl of wisdom and that is you
are only as good as your last job. If you cannot perform and then evaluate the
value of your PR performance, the PR industry will continue to lack significance
and integrity among CEO's and entrepreneurs.
Following this epiphany I decided to research
and enquire more about the measurement of PR.
Once upon a time PR was valued by AVE's,
advertising value equivalents, which would hold editorial pieces in higher
stead than paid advertising. Theoretically if an editorial and an advert were
the same size, presented in the same publication the editorial would be valued three,
to four, to five times more. After discussions of flaws within this evaluation
method The Barcelona Principle was approved by the PR industry in 2010.
At university the Barcelona Principle was the
method that was taught to me and it is an outcomes-based approach, for example
did the PR efforts increase sales, change consumer behaviours etc.
Within the first few days of my internship I
had recognised that AVE's were the preferred method of evaluation and the PR
value was five times the ad value in this consultancy. I was also made aware
that one of the non-for-profit clients requested not to have the AVE's placed
on their media clips. I was intrigued by this as it reflected the clients ethos
and values and reiterated our professions modern stance on AVE's.
In this situation within my internship the
processes within my consultancy conflicted what we had been advised in class
and this brought about an ethical dilemma. After speaking with my supervisor it
was clear that many clients do demand an AVE, and it is important to deliver as the client advises. It is also
clear that the Barcelona Principle is resource rich and consumes extra time and
money to execute well.
What method did your placement organisation
use? And how did you overcome ethical dilemmas throughout your internship?
That is all for now.
Liv
