A constant challenge to public relations executives is demonstrating how they meet increasing demands for accountability. Obviously needed is greater effort to define and measure incremental behavioral outcomes of every public relations activity that the department or the company initiates. Results-oriented managers are asserting that successful communications has not occurred unless thought or behavioral change of a recognizable sort can quantify that success (or failure).

While it is difficult to isolate in specific ROI dollar amount that portion due to the impact of other factors like advertising expenditures and the external environment, correlations can begin to be made between Public Relations inputs and dollar outcomes.

The preeminent challenge facing the public relations executive seeking to develop evaluation and measurement systems is gaining acceptance of them from all important parties, starting with the organization head who has to approve the budgets and the staffs who have to develop, execute and then interpret the resulting research.