New research by Dr. David Michaelson and Dr. Don W. Stacks, members of the Institute for Public Relations' Commission on PR Measurement & Evaluation, has found public relations placements and advertising to be equally effective in generating consumer interest in a newly launched product. The groundbreaking study was presented at the Institute's 2006 Summit on Measurement.

Michaelson and Stacks found no statistically significant difference between ad and editorial in an experiment focused on key measures of credibility, knowledge, interest and purchase intent. Although the respondents said that they got more information from the news article (despite identical information in the ad), that did not increase the believability of the message. Nor were there significant differences between ad and editorial regarding purchase intent, although those reading the news story showed less variance in overall interest.

Michaelson is president of David Michaelson & Company LLC. Stacks is a professor in the University of Miami School of Communication.

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