The objective efficiency measurement of PR campaigns become more and important nowadays in the recession. Communication experts have to prove permanently the necessity of Public Relations with genuine and complex methods. I believe that the efficiency measurement is the alpha and omega of all PR works. In my essay I analyze the short-term (output) and the long-term (outcome) efficiency measurement quantitative and qualitative methods.

The most important methods of the short-term measurement (output): Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE), Return On Investment (ROI), online clicking measurement, Share of Voice (SoV), media analysis, media content analysis and media index-numbers. The PR expert can measure the immediate effect of PR-communication program with these tools. Output measurements can be made after every PR activity – from distributing press release to organizing events – and the qualitative and quantitative methods can guarantee the comprehensive in-depth research.  The main aim for the PR expert is not only to generate more and more articles. Their tasks is to change (in long-term) the attitude of the target audience. This change can be measured in long term (because the attitude change is one of the goals not objectives) and it’s more expensive and more difficult. I examine the four levels of long-term efficiency measurement (outcome) and than the most important measuring techniques (scale-techniques, interviews, physiological measures, and other methods) will be analyzed. In the end of the first part I cite some opinions from Hungarian and foreign PR experts.

There is no international (or Hungarian) uniform PR efficiency measurement standard which can be used from Canada to Hungary. There are as many measurement techniques as many programs. If we want to prepare an appropriate measure, the most important is to make measurable objectives and goals and we conjugate the quantitative and qualitative methods.

Gergely Bognár, PR Consultant, Comprad Communications

The whole essay can be found on PR Herald .