Twenty countries represented by 36 papers on the history of public relations shows that this “niche” area of study is becoming an important field of research. That’s the basic math of the abstracts for this year’s International History of Public Relations Conference to be held at Bournemouth University in England on July 11-12. The submissions … Continue reading Numbers Add Up For PR History Conference
Tag Archives: [blog research]
I’ve been on the front lines of PR measurement for over 10 years in my role at General Motors. In that time, I’ve sat through more vendor pitches than I care to remember and watched many squirm uncomfortably as I poked at the black box that is their particular proprietary methodology. To make matters worse, … Continue reading The Case for Standards in PR Measurement
If you follow the work of crisis communications scholars such as Tim Coombs, perhaps you too have wondered about assumptions versus proof. How much of what we take for granted about effective crisis response is supported by empirical evidence? Is there more to go on than the war stories of crisis veterans, as important as … Continue reading Crisis Communications Research: Assumptions vs. Proof
As members of the global public relations community, we sometimes ruminate amongst ourselves. But out of shyness, arrogance or distraction, we fail to circulate thoughts outside our own, more comfortable, friendly and ‘politically correct’ intellectual environment. We also tend to resist the explicit inclusion in our work of arguments, concepts or methods that come from … Continue reading Putting the Global Policy Journal on Your Reading List
In a Five Minutes With … discussion a year ago, Professor Tom Watson of Bournemouth University in England mentioned that he was researching the history of public relations measurement and evaluation, with a particular interest in the source of AVE – Added Value Equivalence – which he called a “persistent weed”. Next month, Tom will … Continue reading So, Where Did AVEs Come From Anyway?
As a public relations professor who teaches a research and evaluation course, I know firsthand the challenge of keeping up with research, measurement, and evaluation developments in public relations. New and improved digital metrics keep emerging. Clients and organizations are demanding greater accountability from communication initiatives. Public relations professionals and clients are advocating for the … Continue reading Resources for Public Relations Educators for Teaching Research, Measurement, and Evaluation
Economist Daniel Klein recently wrote a piece in the Atlantic that shows just how important it is to ask the right questions in research. A colleague of Klein designed a survey to explore whether ideological differences stem more from people’s beliefs about how the world works or from differences in their basic values. Klein and … Continue reading Asking the Right (or Left) Questions
If you have ever wondered what the best, worst, funniest, happiest, most dramatic or insightful presentation of public relations is, PRDepiction can help answer your questions. PRDepiction, a blog devoted to the depiction of public relations in film, TV, radio and books, across all media, has just been launched. In addition to recent productions and … Continue reading PRDepiction – Media Representations of Public Relations
Does academic research matter to public relations practitioners? Be not afraid. Come into the light with me, a non-PhD practitioner who finds value in academic research. In this series of posts, I will seek out quality academic and other research, drawing insights for communications practitioners. Communicating in an environment of risk is one of the … Continue reading Research for Public Relations: Communicating in an Environment of Risk
How do management behavior and leadership effectiveness influence internal communication outcomes, such as employee perception of organizational reputation? When employees like the company they work for, they feel a stronger sense of belongingness and commitment; they are less prone to leave and they look forward to contributing to the success of the company everyday. Another … Continue reading Leadership Style and Organizational Reputation
Last week I made a case for the need for an action-oriented set of priorities for the public relations research, measurement, and evaluation function. Our goal at the managerial level, is to quantify public relations’ contribution to meeting organizational goals and building organizational value. To achieve that goal, we – research measurement, and evaluations professionals … Continue reading Framework, Standards, and Metrics: PR Research Priorities Part 2
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 … Continue reading Research for Public Relations: Is Transparency Good for Business?