The real problem with PR measurement—clients
A PR professional says to forget, for a moment, the industry’s own struggles with measurement and take note of another obstacle to determining return on investment.
I know you have to measure stuff in business, including public relations.
The problem is that the PR industry struggles with this concept.
We quibble over agreed upon standards, battle over garbage like AVEs, measure weird stuff that has little to do with actual business goals, and have trouble showing that A causes B.
All that aside—and that is a bunch—there is another problem: Our internal and external clients have skewed ideas of success and how it should be measured.
My bet is that you still produce clip books that are judged by some guy—and they’re usually men, aren’t they?—by taking out a ruler and measuring the volume’s thickness.
No?
Then perhaps some genius assesses how much noise said tome of coverage makes when it is dropped on the table.
If your client is so evolved that these ancient rites are behind you, I’d wager that you at least get asked to produce clip books semi-regularly.
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