CHICAGO, March 25, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- There's grumbling in the ranks of the pros doing public relations measurement.
The industry lacks common standards. Even talented pros often can't prove return on investment. And some face institutional roadblocks that hinder real measurement.
A joint Ragan Communications and NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions white paper released today, PR Measurement, spells out the results of a major survey of 1,467 PR pros, offering a rare chance to benchmark PR operations.
Sixty-six percent of industry professionals cite the lack of a standard as the biggest problem with PR measurement. Yet there's hope: The survey reveals an industry that is serious about grappling with the topic.
"Measurement is evolving so fast, people are just ravenous for concrete data," says Mark Ragan, CEO of Ragan Communications. "Are we satisfied with our measurement tools? Is there any movement toward a common standard? How many staffers do you assign to measure and monitor all the noise out there?"
The survey reveals an industry that has a long way to go before consistent standards emerge, according to the white paper. Only 25 percent of PR pros are confident they understand return on investment, and most are unfamiliar with the Barcelona Principles, the industry's first real attempt to standardize PR measurement.
The survey's major findings on these and other areas:
- Standards. Two thirds of respondents cite the lack of a single, widely accepted standard as the biggest problem with PR measurement.
- Satisfaction. Some 30 percent aren't satisfied.
- Advertising Value Equivalency. Thirty-two percent still use this disputed metric—sometimes reluctantly.
- Big Data. Most are unfamiliar with this emerging field.
- Roadblocks. Lack of manpower and time, along with uncertainty about tools, remain hindrances for more than half of respondents.
Download the white paper for free here: http://bit.ly/PRMeasureWPPR
ABOUT RAGAN COMMUNICATIONS
Ragan Communications operates two of the top news and information sites for the PR and corporate communications industries — Ragan.com and PRDaily.com. Together, these daily news sites attract nearly 800,000 global visitors per month.
The company also covers the health care and HR communication industries with its daily news sites HealthCareCommunication.com and HRCommunication.com. The Chicago-based company is also the leading provider of conferences and online training to PR, media relations and corporate communications professionals.