1. Public Relations Research
Part V:
Key Research Methods (section 2)

2. Overview Other PR research methods
Content Analysis – Advantages/Disadvantages
Interviewing – Advantages/Disadvantages
Audits – Advantages/Disadvantages

3. 3. Content Analysis
Quantitative description of the content of documents, including print media, broadcast media coverage, and social media
Analysis of clippings, broadcast tapes, tweets, or posts
Sampling – refer to sampling procedures
Coding and verifying

4. Content Analysis Can…
Describe the content of messages & compare media (TV, radio, newspapers, digital, social)
Study trends or changes in content over time
Analyze regional/international differences
Define categories:
Direction: Coverage pro, con or neutral?
Thrust: Aimed at or toward whom?
Values: Public safety? Environment?
Themes: Prejudices or stereotypes

5. Content Analysis Advantages Disadvantages
Considered objective and systematic
Relatively low cost
Easy to replicate, extend over time, sources
Can be combined with other methods
Requires careful definition of units of measurement
Labor intensive
Value limited to comparative descriptions or profiles

6. 4. In Depth Interviews Qualitative method
Face-to-face, phone, video conference
Open-ended & probing questions
Structured interview protocol

7. Interviewing Advantages Disadvantages Ability to probe Very expensive
Get people to speak in their own words
Learn “street language”
Furthering survey findings
Validating/testing messages
Very expensive
Difficult to monitor quality
Requires highly trained interviewers
Slow to complete
Geographic limitations
Can be subjective

8. 5. Communications Audit Looks internally at PR
Informal, primary method
Comprehensive examination of the PR efforts

9. Communication Audits Advantages Disadvantages
Assesses PR activities alignment with org’s goals
Can provide comprehensive evaluation of COM tools used to support plans & programs
Provides independent evaluation of PR plans
Labor intensive
Can be costly
Requires thorough definition and planning
Combines all disadvantages of focus groups, interviews, and content analysis

10. Assess PR activities
Monitor and evaluate the various channels, messages and view of communication by the organization
Communication climate surveys – perception of openness and adequacy of communication
Readership surveys
Content analysis
Readability studies

11. “Gap Analysis” A means for assessing the gap
Management’s view vs. Public’s view – what are the differences in perspective, understanding, agreement?
What “we” think – What “they” think – What’s the difference between what “we” think and “they” think
Communication campaign then is to “fill in the gap”

12. Ethnographic Methods Participant observation, visits, field trips
Accompanying or participating in activity
From anthropology, sociology
“Going Native”
Undercover, secret shopper

13. Other methods Intercept interviews
Tracking – calls, purchases, hits, likes, placements
Community forums
Advisory panels
Fact finding
Historical/archival research
Internet research
Omnibus studies – piggybacking with other studies

14. In Review Importance of Research Research Process Research Terminology
Key Research Methods
Focus groups
Surveys
Content Analysis
Interviewing
Communications Audits
Many others

15. Strategic & Effective Public Relations should
Begin with
End with
Throughout include
Research

16. Best Study Tip
Review Silver Anvil Award and look at research & evaluation sections

17. References (suggested resources)
APR Study Guide, Universal Accreditation Board, 2016 Primer of Public Relations Research, (2nd ed.) by Don Stacks. Guilford Press, 2011 Cutlip and Center’s Effective Public Relations (11th ed.) by Glen M. Broom and Bey-Ling Sha, 2013 The Practice of Public Relations by Fraser Seitel. Prentice-Hall,
The list shown here are the references I utilized for this presentation and materials I recommend for you to use as a resources while you prepare for the exam. For each, I tried to provide the most recent available edition, although with textbook publishers, there is a new edition that comes out almost every year.

18. End of Research Presentation