Thought Leaders Interview: Don W. Stacks
For 20 years Don W. Stacks, Professor of Public Relations at the University of Miami, is involved in PR measurement and evaluation. This week he talks within the interview series „Thought Leaders in PR Measurement“ about his long-time research experiences on this topic and future challenges for PR measurement and evaluation.
Communicationcontrolling.de: Prof. Stacks, when did you start to deal with questions of PR measurement and evaluation, and why are you especially interested in this topic?
Don Stacks: About 20 years ago when I first started working on the Primer of Public Relations Research. I’ve always had a background in measurement from my earliest graduate days and took courses from some of the top measurement people in communication and social psychology. I think it is important because the data we gather must be reliable and valid or it is useless—more than useless, it is dangerous.
This interview is part of the series "Thought Leaders in PR Measurement" – we’ve talked to 12 people who shaped the international debate on communication measurement in various periods.
cc.de: Why do you think communication measurement is essential for organizations today?
Stacks: First, because we need to keep a pulse on our stakeholders, internal and external. Second, we have to demonstrate the public relations function’s impact on the business. Third, we need to be able to provide strategic counsel based on the data we have gathered and evaluated. We deal with Return on Expectations (ROE) and those expectations need to be measured and evaluated in light of the organization’s mission and values.
cc.de: What have been the most important insights and turning points in yourresearch on the topic?
Stacks: The work on research standards with Shannon Bowen, David Michaelson, and Donald K. Wright. Pulling together the best practices of measurement and then going a step forward by beginning to institute standards the profession should meet in terms of measurement ethics, measurement scales, and measuring excellence in the organizational milieu.
cc.de: International research constantly shows large gaps between the importanceand implementation of measurement practices. Many complain about this, butnothing seems to change. Do you think there are any ways out of thisdilemma?
Stacks: Yes, by setting standards others can see where they are in comparison. While best practices tells us how, standards tell us why and what we should expect to pass the bar. We need to be able to set standards in terms of measurement. Further, we must also focus on the strategic planning of any public relations effort by stating measureable objectives for information receipt, stakeholder change, and behavioral intent.
cc.de: Do you think it is possible to develop international standards forlinking communication to organizational goals and for evaluatingcommunication activities? What will be advantages and disadvantages, whomight profit from such initiatives?
Stacks: Yes! The advantages are what I just described. The disadvantages come from the proprietary nature of the profession right now. We need to learn to share, not specific items, but to share the outcomes we have measured and teach the profession how to be professional in measurement conduct.
cc.de: From your point of view, what is the most important future challenge forPR measurement and evaluation?
Stacks: Effectively setting and monitoring measurement standards, ethical standards, and setting the bar for what is excellent and what is not.
cc.de: Thank you for that conversation.
About Don W. Stacks
Don W. Stacks, Ph.D., is Professor of Public Relations at the University of Miami, Florida. He has written more than 150 scholarly articles and papers, i.e. dealing with standardization in Public Relations measurement. Besides, he has authored or coauthored seven books on communication topics. He received several awards, i.e. for his research and educational work in Public Relations. Stacks has been an active communication consultant for over 30 years. His areas of expertise include press relation, internal organizational communication and leadership. He is the editor of the Journal of the Association for Communication Administration and head of the IPR Measurement Commission, USA.
Readings
- Michaelson, D.; Stacks, D.W. (2012). Evaluating Efficacy in Public Relations/Corporate Communication Programming: Towards Establishing Standards of Campaign Performance. Public Relations Journal, 6.
- Michaelson, D.; Stacks, D. W. (2011). Standardization in Public Relations Measurement and Evaluation. Public Relations Journal, 5, S. 7–8.
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