THINK Public Relations Wilcox/Cameron/Reber/Shin

Ch 6: Communication and Measurement

Overview Communication: The third step Measurement: The fourth step Measurement of message exposure Measurement of audience awareness, attitudes, and action

Communication: The Third Step Is referred to as execution Is the process and the means by which objectives are achieved Tactics are developed to implement the plan.

Goals of Communication Message exposure Accurate dissemination Acceptance of the message Attitude change Behavior change

Making Sure the Audience Receives the Message Schramm’s model Source, Encoder, Signal, Decoder, Destination Grunig’s model Two-way symmetrical communication Mixed motives

Making the Audience Pay Attention to the Message Theoretical perspectives Lasswell’s definition of communication “Who says what, in which channel, to whom, with what effect?” Media uses and gratification Passive audiences / Active audiences Bandura: Social Learning Theory Pavlov, propaganda / Powerful effects The two-step flow: a small group of influencers are responsible for dissemination of information because they can modify the opinions of a large number of other people.

Making Sure the Message is Understood Importance of language Understand cultural differences Check writing for simplicity and clarity Readability formulas: Flesch, Cloze Use symbols, acronyms, easy-to-remember slogans Avoid jargon, cliché, hype, euphemisms, discriminatory language Employers: ‘writing skills’ & ‘critical thinking skills’

Making the Message Credible Source credibility Context of the message Involvement

Making the Message Memorable Repetition Delivering information in a variety of ways via multiple communication channels

What Do You Think? What are the five steps of the adoption process? What are some of the factors that affect the adoption of an idea or a product? This question will stimulate discussion of the adoption process in terms of getting the audience to act.

Making Sure the Audience Acts on the Message Five-stage adoption process Awareness, interest, evaluation, trial, adoption Rogers’ diffusion of innovations Relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, observability Why do we pay attention to some things and ignore others? Are you an ‘opinion leader’ or ‘follower’?

Measurement: The Fourth Step Measurement is the evaluation of results against agreed-upon objectives established during planning. Evaluation improves the public relations process.

Basic Evaluation Questions Adequately planned? Message(s) understood? How could strategy have been more effective? Audiences reached? Objectives achieved? What was unforeseen? Budget met? Future improvements?

Objectives: A Prerequisite for Measurement Develop a clearly established set of measurable objectives. Informational and motivational objectives

Measurement and Evaluation Status

Measurement of Message Exposure Compile clippings/mentions Most widely used metric Media impressions Placement x circulation/viewership/listenership Internet hits Advertising equivalency Space/time x advertising rate Systematic tracking Analyze volume and content of media placements

Measurement of Message Exposure Information requests Cost per person Audience attendance

Measurement of Audience Awareness, Attitudes, and Action Survey Day-after recall Audience Attitude Related to awareness Baseline/benchmark studies Audience Action The ultimate objective of any public relations effort Measure desired behaviors

To inform, To persuade, To motivate and To build mutual understanding are some of the _____ goals of communication. legitimate

Into which media category do publicity, advertising, and product placements fall?

Brochures, newsletters, annual reports and direct mail are all forms of ________ media. controlled

communicating a message Message exposure, accurate dissemination of the message, acceptance of the message and attitude change are a key objective for ________ communicating a message

uses and gratifications The theory that says people use the mass media for a variety of purposes in known as uses and gratifications

The kind of audience that may initially pay attention to a message only because it’s entertaining is k known as a ______ audience. passive

Websites, brochures, slide presentations and speeches are effective tools for delivering information to a(n) _______ audience active

It reminds the audience, it can lead to improved learning, it offsets the “noise” and it contributes to credibility are a benefit of ______a message. repeating

Five-Stage Adoption Process Every person does not go through all five stages, yhe process may end after any step, the process is like a large funnel and it can be applied to both ideas or products are true of the: Five-Stage Adoption Process

At what stage in the adoption process do people seek more information about the idea or product? interest

According to communication researcher Everett Rogers, people who are eager to try new ideas are called innovators

Retention, comprehension, awareness and reception are considered to be an “_______” level of measurement intermediate

According to a recent survey of public relations practitioners, which tool is the most effective measure of message exposure? clippings

The potential audience reached by a periodical or broadcast program is known as Media impressions

Tracking media coverage and comparing it over time is known as: benchmarking

organizational objectives The ultimate objective of any public relations effort is to achieve _____. organizational objectives

In the Diffusion of Innovations model, ______ are traditionalists who are the last to adopt anything. laggards