This question was put to the PR and Technology class today and we all just looked at Derek, our long suffering lecturer, as though he should know the answer just like he appears to know the answer to every other question we have about PR and technology.
BUT......
He doesn't know the answer!!
Is there an answer? Anybody?
I decided to have a look in to what other people are saying about this subject and came across Tom Watson's blog Dummysplit where one posting discusses the replacement of AVEs. Watson correctly points out that "any media coverage was generated to support the campaign objectives and wasn’t an end in itself." So if the majority of objectives set for campaigns are about "measurable objectives in terms of getting support, helping reach sales targets, building awareness of an issue or cause" why are practitioners so focused on advertising equivalent spendature?
In my opinion, for those of you who care, AVE does not work with online PR and as yet there are no models suitable for the evaluation of new and social media. Is online PR merely an ego boost for those innovators pushing the cause of social media or is it a trustworthy and reliable medium for conducting campaigns? Both? I think every campaign that uses social media needs to have its own formula for evaluating the success or failure as it depends on why it is being used.
Evaluation and online PR will be a subject that needs much research over the next five years before we can truly say it is a worthwhile and valuable tool.
Debz
2 comments:
The only way any PR should be evaluated is against a series pre set goals. If the PR is working and the goals are properly thought out then that should be all the evaluation you need.
Sam
I guess the one thing you get quite clearly from dipping into the social media domain in terms of doing PR, that you do not get to the same extent elsewhere. is 'dialogue'. Stakeholders respond directly and with as much exposure in the social media sphere as you the PR practitioner, and those views can be evaluated.
But, with regards to behavioural results, how do you know that any changes are due to the social media comms drive you have undertaken?
I agree that evaluation of online PR is sketchy, but strangely it doesn't seem to be a particularly big priority at this moment. Paranoia over losing control of your message seems to be the driving force yo get involved, while the capacity to quantify the investment to prove it worthwhile is left somewhat by the wayside.
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