Chapter 6 "Research and Evaluation"

Key Points

• Research is an important element in public relations campaign planning and evaluation. There are three phases of research, input, output and outcomes. Practitioners should use a wide range of methodologies, both quantitative and qualitative, when planning for events.
  
• Research must be ongoing throughout a project and techniques will vary as the project goes on. Research can help give a better idea about many things in campaigns such as budgeting.
• Most PR research focuses on the environment in which the organisation operates. This includes its key publics, stakeholders, strengths and weaknesses of competitors etc. This will give a better picture of what is to be expected of their campaign. Daily work for practitioners is based on 'current situation.'
  
• A clearly defined set of objectives should help in determining what is an appropriate amount of research to undertake. This will help avoid spending unnecessary time and resources on non-essential research.
• Input determines what goes into a project, output is the actual elements produced in the program (flyers etc) and outcomes are the results of this.
• Practitioners should obtain a thorough understanding of the situation before they begin a project. Research into a company's recent projects and successes could help with this.
• Input Research: The first step for practitioners is identifying the goals and objectives of the company and ensuring the campaign plans match this. A SWOT analysis should be undertaken. The second step is gathering all relevant existing information on the situation. The third step is understanding the needs of key target publics and planning in a way that caters for these groups. A few questions to ask are; who are the publics? What are their characteristics? Where do we find them? How important are they? How active or involved are the publics? Hierarchy of importance? Then practitioners can embark on research using various methodologies depending on the situation.
  
• Output research: Research in this phase can consider the delivery of the messages and constantly evaluate this in order to continue to improve as the campaign continues. Output evaluation considers the channels of communication and whether the methods chosen were appropriate for the case.
• Outcome research: Indicates the level of success or failure of the strategy and determines how effective planning and communication were while suggesting improvements. This information can be used in the input phase in the next cycle. Evaluation criteria must be prescribed before this can be achieved.
• There are numerous methodologies available to practitioners when researching. These include formal and non-formal as well as qualitative and quantitative research. Qualitative research is objective and opinion based, whereas quantitative research results in quantifiable data such as graphs, numbers, tables and empirical statistical evidence.
  
• Some useful research techniques include: Surveys, mail, telephone interviews, face to face contact, internet, questionnaires and focus groups. In all methodologies, practitioners should avoid constructing closed ended questions which force respondents into a particular answer.
• Other research methodologies include ethnographic studies (participant observation), case studies, statistical analysis, media monitoring, content analysis, communication audits and many other secondary and primary research methods.
• Ethics: The PRIA's code of ethics provides a framework for research. The research practitioners do should be conscious of; coercion, dishonesty, hurtful manner and manipulation of data.
  
• Research is an essential part of any campaign. It allows considerations for budgeting and all stages of the project, input, output and outcomes.