Institute for Public Relations

The Institute of Public Relations awarded this paper a “Top 3 Competition Paper of Practical Significance” at the 16th International PR Research Conference (2013). This research-in-progress seeks to uncover a deeper understanding of how influence works online, and how we might measure influence beyond the outputs and outtakes. In this literature review, several salient themes emerge: Influence explained via social impact and opinion leadership Mixed results on both accounts Influence applied by a group on its individual members By and large, literature supports this principle Social identification with the group leads to being influenced by its members Influence as a consequence of position in a social network Two ...

Speaking at the 3rd IPRA International Public Relations Congress & Latin American Meeting in Lima Peru, IPR Measurement Commission chair David Geddes provided an in-depth international framework for public relations measurement today and tomorrow.  His topic included a framework for standards setting, predictive analytics, using measurement to build organizational value and illustrative case studies. To view video of Dr. Geddes’ presentation: Framing PR Measurement: Beginning with Theory Translating PR Measurement Standards to Practice Defining Engagement and Influence Applying Predictive Analytics Building Organizational Value

June 2012 – More and more organizations need to measure their media coverage globally, but how can they do this cost effectively? This paper takes a very granular approach to helping the reader define business goals and objectives; determine suitable measures; analyze media content needs; evaluate dashboard systems; determine language and analysis processes; develop measurement scorecards; select provider services; sell the solutions internally; and, evaluate their success. Clear pros and cons to every option are provided, enabling the reader to balance the three competing essentials: quality, speed and cost.

June 2012 – Organizations engage in traditional media relations for many reasons and their objectives for analyzing the media coverage may be similarly varied. Media coverage can serve as a proxy for public perception and is relatively inexpensive and accessible. Public relations professionals apply media analysis to help demonstrate the value of PR, provide insights to make better decisions, improve performance, understand issues and anticipate change. The IPR Measurement Commission proposes the following standards for consideration. The overall recommendation seeks to ensure that measures used in analysis are well-formulated and implemented by (i) gaining agreement from the start among all relevant ...

This statement of ethical standards and guidelines for public relations research was developed by a team of the Institute for Public Relations Measurement Commission headed by Shannon Bowen, Ph.D, John Gilfeather and Brad Rawlins, Ph.D. This statement was approved by the IPR Measurement Commission on March 7, 2012. This is a discussion document that will be further developed in the near future as proposed interim standards for ethics in research and measurement.

January 2012 – Demands for accountability for public relations activity have fueled the development and usage of sophisticated research, measurement and evaluation approaches and tools in public relations practice. Ensuring that public relations students are familiar and proficient with the growing number of measurement and evaluations tools and approaches can be daunting. This paper serves as a road map to the collection of books and white papers on public relations research, measurement, and evaluation. Members of the Institute for Public Relations Commission on Measurement and Evaluation, a nonprofit group that researches and disseminate public relations research and evaluation best practices, ...

Winner of the 2011 Jack Felton Golden Ruler Award for excellence in research, measurement and evaluation, this study applied predictive analytics in an action-oriented and cost-effective model to show how corporate reputation can be directly predicted by document sentiment. The award was presented at the 2011 North American Summit on PR Measurement. The video and presentation are available below: Video Presentation

September 2011- Dr. David Michaelson and Dr. Don Stacks, Research Fellows at the Institute for Public Relations, co-wrote the paper, “Standardization in Public Relations Measurement and Evaluation”. This article was published in the 2011 Spring edition of the Public Relations Journal. As the public relations profession continues to focus more and more on outcomes associated with campaigns or public relations initiatives the question of standards has shifted to the forefront of discussions among and between professionals, academics, and research providers. Making this shift even more important to establishing impact on business goals and objectives is the fact that standardized measures for ...

August 2011 – Articles written by members of the Institute for Public Relations’ Commission on PR Measurement and Evaluation, that first appeared in the May 2011 issue of PRSA’s PR Tactics magazine, are now available on the IPR web site. They include: The Strategic Approach: Writing Measurable Objectives by Don W. Stacks, Ph.D. and Shannon A. Bowen, Ph.D.; Deliverable Objectives: Considerations for Creating Measurement Plans by Jackie Matthews and Pauline Draper-Watts; Speak Their Language: Communicating Results to the C-suite by Marianne Eisenmann; The Big Shift: Moving from Impressions to Engagement by Tim Marklein and; Measuring Influence in the Digital Age: Impressions, Likes and Followers by Katie Delahaye Paine. Thanks go to John Elsasser of PRSA, ...

The Barcelona Declaration of Measurement Principles addresses the need for clear standards and common approaches to measuring and evaluating public relations results.  The principles were adopted by delegates attending at the 2nd European Summit on Measurement.