Update of the Task Force on Standardization of Multi-Stage PR Measurement Models

By: Rebecca Hadler / 28.06.2016

A variety of multi-stage measurement models in public relations (PR) and communication exist: They differ from one another in the use of terminology and in the number of stages. Many of them are built without a theoretical conceptualization and they are seldom used in practice of evaluation and measurement. Furthermore, an overview of all models is lacking, let alone standardization.

Therefore, the Task Force on Standardization of Multi-Stage PR Measurement Models was created in 2015; its manager is Fraser Likely. The task force’s aim is to identify the different models, examine their evolution and usage and discuss their similarities and differences in the first place. On this basis, the task force members will conceptualize a theoretical framework, and model, peer review as well as test a draft standard. Then, the members will work towards a consensus on the standardization of models and an underlying theoretical framework for PR and communication in the fields of objective setting, planning, measurement and evaluation.

So far, the Task Force has built a very large knowledge base and has critiqued the literature. During the International Public Relations Research Conference in Miami in spring 2016, the Task Force took the opportunity to discuss parts of the literature face-to-face. In the second stage, they will conduct four research projects to get more insights:

1. “Revisiting the Disciplinary Home of PR Evaluation: New Perspectives to Inform Standards”:
   This paper argues that PR is a transdisciplinary field and that program evaluation is an overlooked source of influence and heritage in relation to evaluation.
2. “20 years of PR measurement and evaluation: Comparing the role of international and national PR associations in the development and dissemination of evaluation measurement models and principles”:
   This paper looks at the role of the 10 most influential PR associations in the development and dissemination of models across different countries from the mid-1990s onwards, using a qualitative multi-methods approach, to better understand the forces that led to the creation of models and principles.
3. “Linking Theory to Practice: An International Examination of PR Agency Executive Perspectives Toward Measurement and Evaluation”:
   This paper uses a qualitative and international approach to research the internal organizational processes that impact the adoption, use and promotion of measurement and evaluation models within professional consultancies.
4. “Linking Theory to Practice: An International Examination of PR Department Executive Perspectives Toward Measurement and Evaluation”:
   This paper uses a qualitative and international approach to research the internal organizational processes that impact the adoption, use and promotion of measurement and evaluation models within corporate communication departments.
   

The first two papers will provide a thorough understanding of the history of the development of PR measurement models.  The second two papers will present a detailed and deep explanation of the factors that influence PR measurement deployment, the adoption and use of measurement modeling.

Simultaneously, taxonomies to categorize the compiled measurement models, both historically and based on stages and terminology, will be identified in stage two.

Stage three will apply the learnings from these research projects in the development of a theoretical framework and draft standard model(s). Stage four will be the peer review and testing of the framework and model(s) in practice.

Members of the task force

• Forrest Anderson, CEO, Forrest W. Anderson Consulting, Adjunct Professor, George Washington University, USA
• Dr. Mark-Steffen Buchele, CEO, buchele cc, Germany
• Dr. Alexander Buhmann, Assistant Professor, Norwegian Business School, Norway
• Dr. David Geddes, Managing Director, Geddes Analytics LLC, USA
• Dr. Nathan Gilkerson, Assistant Professor, Department of Strategic Communication, J. William & Mary Diederich College of Communication, Marquette University, USA
• Allyson Hugley, President, Weber Shandwick's Measurement and Analytics Practice, USA
• Fraser Likely, President, Likely Communication Strategies, Adjunct Professor, Communication Department University of Ottawa, Canada
• Dr. Jim Macnamara, Associate Dean (Engagement and International) & Professor, Public Communication Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences University of Technology Sydney, Australia
• Tim Marklein, Founder & CEO, Big Valley Marketing, USA
• Dr. Rebecca Swenson, Assistant Professor, Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resource Communication, Agricultural Education Program, University of Minnesota, USA
• Sophia Charlotte Volk, Ph.D candidate, Research Associate, Institute of Communication and Media Studies, University of Leipzig, Germany
• Michael Ziviani, CEO, Precise Value, Australia

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