Competence-oriented learning technologies. "Competence-oriented approach in the psychological support of students
Currently, there is no single classification of methods for evaluating the effectiveness of PR activities, but PR experts agree on some methods:
1 method. The effectiveness of a PR campaign is evaluated based on the implementation of all the goals and objectives set at the planning stage. It is necessary to take into account who set these goals - the PR manager, the head of the company, the client.
2 method. Measuring and counting quantitative indicators of PR activities: how many informational materials were prepared, how many calls were made, in how many media articles were posted. The disadvantage of this method is that it does not take into account qualitative indicators conducted campaign.
3 method. Counting " feedback»: how much the audience's awareness of the company or product has increased; whether it was possible to divert public attention from negative information; how the public opinion about the PR object has changed; how many responses were received.
4 method. Measurement of income indicators: how much sales have grown, what is the growth in profits, the capture of new target audiences.
Using these methods together, you can get the most complete assessment of the effectiveness of PR activities. It is impossible to say how much one of the methods is better or more accurate than the other. Much depends on the area in which they are applicable - internal corporate PR, external PR, GR.
In practice, when faced with the problem of evaluating the effectiveness of a PR campaign, you can apply a different method - to analyze the individual tools of the entire PR campaign:
1) Distribution of company press releases
An estimate of the number of prepared and published press releases in the media. You can calculate the exact percentage of published press releases. For example, 30 press releases were sent out and 20 published. Thus, the distribution efficiency was approximately 66%;
- "feedback" - what kind of reaction was received after the distribution of press releases: the number of comments from journalists, the number of calls and letters from representatives of the target audience.
2) Holding press conferences
Formation of the circle of necessary media;
Comparison of indicators "target media" and "accredited media" - the percentage of these two indicators;
Comparative analysis of indicators "accredited media" and "journalists who came to the press conference". Presence at the conference of 80-90% of accredited journalists from the total number is optimal;
Counting the number of questions from journalists;
Analysis of questions asked by journalists and answers to these questions;
Counting and analysis of the number of publications after the press conference.
3) Corporate media, corporate events, special events - management speech at the conference
Mass surveys and questionnaires;
Publications in the media.
4) Use of media for publications (qualitative method)
The main method used here is media monitoring, that is, tracking information about the company in printed publications.
Type of publication - announcement, news, article, review, analytics;
Publication volume - whole page, 1 page, etc. (in sq.cm.);
Edition circulation; the nature of the publication - positive, neutral, negative;
Number of publications;
Publication cost (USD);
Study of the media audience.
After evaluating the effectiveness of specific PR tools, you should analyze changes in the opinions of the target audience. The main methods here are mass polls and public surveys before and after the PR campaign.
When evaluating the economic component of PR, methods such as mass surveys, focus groups are often used.
Often the effectiveness of a PR campaign can only be measured using internal resources. For example, specialists themselves can evaluate the effectiveness of sending out press releases or cooperation with partners, investors, shareholders; conduct media monitoring. The only thing that experts cannot evaluate is the effectiveness of PR-influence on the general public. In this case, it is usually necessary to general research at a fairly high cost.
The result of a PR campaign can partly be measured by quantitative indicators, the other part comes down to the subjective assessment of the performer or customer about the work done and the results.
It is the combination of these two indicators (quantitative and "non-quantitative" assessment) that can serve as the golden mean in measuring the effectiveness of PR activities.
According to Norman Stone, the following PR performance indicators are calculable:
1) Percent Change"concerns" (concern, interest) can be calculated by questioning.
2) Growth in the number of requests received.
3) Reducing the number of complaints received.
4) Frequency of mention in the press.
5) Opportunities to see or hear a certain opinion (calculated by questioning).
6) Improving the company's position in the market in relation to competitors (market research).
7) Time spent on achieving certain positions in the market (occupying a certain market share).
Based on the results of the theoretical presentation of the material, the following conclusions can be drawn:
PR is a very capacious concept, the effectiveness of which cannot be defined only as "publication in the media" or "promotion" of the company.
When evaluating the effectiveness of PR activities, it is necessary to consider it in the context of this particular campaign, taking into account the audience it is aimed at, as well as the PR tools used. Then the evaluation of effectiveness will be more objective.
Conclusions on Chapter I
In the first chapter were revealed theoretical aspects topics for the possibility of practical analysis based on its results. The concept was considered marketing research, their role in the activities of the organization, the main directions of marketing research of the company. Based on the professional literature, general characteristics marketing research as a process, its main stages are considered. In addition, the characteristics of the study of the effectiveness of PR activities by marketing methods are given.
Summing up the results of Chapter I, we can say that successful business is impossible without continuous monitoring of the market environment. Marketing research is a function that, through information, connects marketers with markets, consumers, competitors, with all elements external environment marketing. No research can be started until the core of the problem is identified, so the problem definition stage is the first step in the process of finding a solution. The collection of secondary information precedes the collection of primary information. The effectiveness of the organization's PR activities can be assessed more objectively in the aggregate of quantitative and subjective measurements.
All the information collected in Chapter I will help to understand, using a practical example, which of the methods of marketing research will contribute to the analysis of the effectiveness of the PR activities of a particular company.
- 1. Plan-fact system. The effectiveness of a PR campaign is evaluated in terms of the implementation of all planned activities, actions, and communications. It should be noted that this method is not purely formal. With a competently, qualitatively drawn up plan, it reflects the achievement of the planned results with a sufficient degree of accuracy.
- 2. System "from what has been achieved", as a rule, it is used for fairly regular promotions of the same type (for example, the annual "Day open doors” or the annual meeting of shareholders), allows you to compare the planned indicators of similar events, highlight achievements or their absence (of course, the budget of each of the compared events is also taken into account).
- 3. The "goal" system - final result". The effectiveness of a PR campaign is evaluated as the realization of the set goal, of course, taking into account the time and financial compliance with the plan.
Methods for evaluating the effectiveness of a PR campaign
In our opinion, a general model for evaluating the effectiveness of a PR campaign can be results hierarchy model. The essence of this approach lies in the fact that the researcher of the effectiveness of a PR campaign is invited to consistently evaluate the results in three main steps of the impact:
- 1) assessment of informing target groups (the intensity of information dissemination, the degree of its achievement and digestibility by specific audiences are assessed; units of measurement - the percentage of coverage of target audiences, the amount of material read, the time of listening and viewing, etc.);
- 2) assessment of the reaction of public groups (the degree of interest and understanding is assessed; the main method is an audience survey);
- 3) assessment of the effect of the campaign as a whole, understood as a change in people's behavior (the main methods are a survey and "measurement of behavior indicators", i.e. an increase in the number of requests for information, inquiries about services, a decrease in the number of complaints, etc.).
It should be noted that if the goals of a PR campaign are only to inform the public or form a positive attitude towards the organization, then the assessment is made only on the first (or the first and second) indicator, however, as indicated in the special literature, in general, the effect of the campaign is the higher, the it is more systemic.
There are four main areas for evaluating a PR campaign 1:
- 1) assessment of information dissemination (includes three dimensions of messages: placement, comprehensibility, retention in memory);
- 2) assessment of the impact on value attitudes (the severity and direction of attitudes are measured before and after the campaign, the emergence of new attitudes is monitored);
- 3) assessment of "behavioral goals" (surveys, observations, qualitative methods are used);
- 4) assessment of “the number of events in controlled and uncontrolled media” (PR texts, meetings with journalists, publications for each group).
According to A. Chumikov, "when evaluating the effectiveness of PR, one should first of all take into account the fact that public relations is type of information activity, therefore, what is to be measured is that associated with the production and use of information products. PR Effectiveness Formula:
where E- effectiveness of PR;
/ - the level of management at which decisions are made regarding PR;
i- Interest and time spent by representatives of this level.
Communication efficiency:
where q- the quality of the target audience;
v - message value.
Media coverage = Number of media contacts X Their degree of success
Informativeness:
where I- informativeness;
M- the prevalence of this media, its circulation, audience and popularity;
V- the volume of PR-information about the company in this media.
Specifically, the following parameters can be taken into account and calculated:
number of prepared information products, among which it is necessary to single out basic information products (reference on the results of the study, strategic concept, tactical plan, action scenario, work estimate) and operational information products (information package, letter, release, announcements, invitations, etc.);
number of individuals/organizations/media that received preparatory information products, where the very fact of receiving information is recorded, and a list of organizations / media, any reaction to the information received) ;
the number of changes that have occurred as a result of obtaining information products. The thought of A.N. Chumikov and M.P. Bocharov seems to be very important. that it is necessary to divide all indicators of the evaluation of PR activities into two groups: amenable to planning and forecasting up to fixing in the relevant sections of contracts for PR services and not amenable to planning and forecasting,
the number of information cycles associated with the production and use of information products. Cycles mean the number of operations for preparing/distributing/tracking at the feedback level the effect produced by information products (the more operations, the higher the quantitative level of the effect).
During the implementation phase (monitoring and reporting of program implementation), the following parameters are evaluated:
- the number of messages broadcast by the media and planned PR activities;
- the number of messages posted in the media and PR actions performed;
- the number of people who received the message and were covered by PR actions;
- the number of people who paid attention to messages and PR actions.
As you can see, the final assessment of the PR program and activities is their positive contribution to the social and cultural process, which not only changes the environment in a favorable direction, but also gives PR professionals a sense of pride in their contribution to the development of society and culture.
R. Heywood, when analyzing possible directions for evaluating efficiency, is limited to listing the main factors that affect the final result. Among them, he highlights:
budget(implementation of activities within the planned material and time possibilities);
fame(growth of the organization's visibility among certain audiences);
relations(shift in the relationship of the audience to the organization);
lighting(level and tone of coverage of your events in the media);
position(place of the organization in the market in relation to competitors);
feedback(number of requests received as a result of the campaign);
share price(the amount invested in the company by the investor);
sales(changes in sales volume or prices due solely to public relations activities).
The issue of their quality is closely related to the issue of assessing the quantity of prepared information products. The quality of information products can be assessed based on:
- from the level of fulfillment of the tasks set (this approach is common in Russian practice, where the head of the organization prefers not to spend money on consulting in a PR agency, but sets tasks for his specialists);
- testing (and subsequent adjustment) of the prepared information product using a representative study, an expert survey or a focus group. The results of such a study are a confirmation of quality;
- the effect of subsequent use of the information product. In this case, the content of the effect can also be quantified. It is partially deciphered in the paragraph “the number of persons who received information products”: addressees to whom operational information products were sent (direct mailing to the media according to the lists); addressees who received information products sent to them (a list of organizations in which the very fact of receiving information was recorded, a list of organizations where any reaction to the information received followed).
To assess the quantitative effect of PR activities, it is also proposed advertising equivalent method (PR advertising equivalency) is one of the most criticized methods, but still exists. The appearance of the method is associated with the stereotype that PR is mainly media relations. Therefore, it is proposed to count the number (volume, number of newspaper lines) of publications, their location (or time of release), and then translate the results obtained into the cost of the corresponding volumes at advertising rates.
Another method related to this same stereotype is technical calculation of the so-called PR-value (PR values) based on a complex system of coefficients. The coefficients depend on whether the article mentions the brands promoted by the client, whether the company logo is present, whether it is shown in the photo, if it is shown, then in full or in part, etc. This method also has disadvantages: the coefficient decreases if the logo is not fully shown in the photo, and increases if the name of the customer is mentioned, but the publications themselves can be negative character due to the fact that not all performance indicators of PR activities can be measured quantitatively.
The scoring model proposed by Cutlip is known as PH(.Preparation, Implementation, Impact - preparation - transformation -
impact) and is a step model that offers valuation levels for different types of demand (Figure 10.1). The model does not prescribe the use of any single methodology, but assumes that "assessment means different things to different practitioners".
- for partners - about the potential opportunities of the person involved (used to make decisions on cooperation);
- for the person involved in the rating - about the relative capabilities of competitors, their strengths and weaknesses (used to adjust their own strategy);
- for the public - about the situation in a certain market segment (used to form public opinion).
Depending on the tasks set when compiling the rating, the research center selects a research methodology, forms a list of necessary criteria, and develops a system for their evaluation.
- Azarova L.V., Ivanova K.A., Yakovlev I.P. Organization of PR campaigns: study guide / ed. L.V. Azarova. SPb. : Publishing house of St. Petersburg Electrotechnical University "LETI", 2000.
- Chumakov A.N., Bocharov M.P. Public relations. Theory and practice. 2nd ed. M. : Delo, 2008.
- Chumikov A.N., Bocharov M.P. Public relations. Theory and practice. 2nd ed. M. : Delo, 2008.
- Heywood R. All about Public Relations. URL: bambook.com>scripts/pos.showitem
- Cutlip S.M., Senter A.H., Broom G.M. Public relations. Theory and practice: textbook. 8th ed. / per. from English. M. : Williams, 2000.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of the PR campaign
Evaluation of the effectiveness of a public relations campaign is in the zone of close attention of the customer (sponsor), who wants to know that the money, time and effort spent on the implementation of the program contributed to the achievement of the set goals.
The actual evaluation of a public relations campaign based on quantitative indicators is very problematic, it is difficult to assess the change in public consciousness (increased brand awareness, the formation of a positive image, etc.).
The problem of evaluating the effectiveness of public relations campaigns and actions is widely discussed and causes serious discussions, both among practitioners and in scientific circles. This is due to the fact that it is impossible to find objective criteria for evaluating PR programs and accurately measure their effect, so the expected results are often evaluated subjectively, intuitively, and taken for granted.
Due to the complexity of measuring the result of a public relations campaign in full, experts suggest evaluating its effectiveness by the following indicators:
change in public interest (awareness, recognition, etc.), which can be determined on the basis of public opinion monitoring;
An increase in the number of requests to the press service of the company;
· the frequency of mention in the media, identified on the basis of their monitoring (calculation of data on advertising space in print media, the number of press releases, airtime, etc.);
· the number of audience received PR-messages - readers, viewers, radio listeners (real and potential), the number of people who took part in presentations, exhibitions and special events;
· the volume of messages transmitted through different channels (number of information leaflets sent to clients, brochures distributed, meetings held, press conferences, etc.);
Improvement of the company's position in the market in relation to competitors, recorded as a result of marketing research;
time spent on achieving certain positions in the market.
In Western practice, two main schemes for evaluating the effectiveness of a public relations campaign are used - open and closed.
Closed- is used more often and is based on an analysis of the PR impact on the audience, considered in isolation from other factors. This scheme suggests pre-testing of messages and channels of communication before use in a public relations program and testing of intermediate results as the expected consequences appear.
open- involves measuring efficiency taking into account factors that are not controlled by the program and not included in its framework, they are identified on the basis of constant monitoring of the external environment - changes in the economic, political and social context.
In Russian practice, the most common method for evaluating the effectiveness of PR campaigns has become the analysis of press publications, which consists in the constant monitoring of publications in the press and other media that affect the subject of the ongoing PR campaign. This method is quite reliable and economical. A selection of such publications is necessary, not only to evaluate the effectiveness, but also to compile a report. In addition to simply counting the number of publications, an assessment of their quality and compliance with the goals set by the PR campaign is used. Press clipping and analysis of press publications is one of the most proven methods for evaluating effectiveness, but, nevertheless, it alone is clearly not enough for a comprehensive assessment.
The effectiveness of a public relations campaign is most accurately measured by complex methodologies that combine both informal and formal methods. According to the British specialist R. Haywood, the most commonly used criteria for the effectiveness of a public relations campaign are:
budget, that is, the implementation of activities within the planned material and temporal possibilities;
increase the visibility of the organization among certain audiences;
a shift in the relationship of the audience to the organization;
change in coverage (in terms of level or tone) of the activities of the media organization;
change in the position of the organization in the market in relation to competitors;
· revitalization of feedback channels, that is, an increase in requests received as a result of the campaign;
· the growth of the market value of the organization associated with the willingness of investors to invest in it;
• a change in sales volume or price caused solely by public relations activities.
In the process of evaluating the effectiveness of a PR campaign, it is necessary to take into account a number of features:
1. A real assessment of the effectiveness of a PR campaign is possible when its result is correlated with the goal.
2. Baselines for performance evaluation should be established at the planning stage.
3. If several goals are set for a PR campaign, then a system for evaluating the effectiveness is needed, i.e. several indicators.
4. On this stage it is necessary to conduct an “evaluation study” of a PR campaign, which involves the inclusion of an appropriate item in the budget of a PR campaign.
5. It is necessary to take into account the so-called "delayed effect", which is difficult to assess.
The main forms of evaluating the effectiveness of a PR campaign:
Ø "plan fact" system. The effectiveness of the campaign is assessed in terms of the implementation of all planned activities, communications campaigns;
Ø the system from “achieved”, as a rule, is used with fairly regular promotions of the same type. For example, the Open Doors Day allows you to compare the planned indicators of similar events, highlight their achievements or their absence;
Ø "goal - end result" system. The effectiveness of a PR campaign is assessed as the achievement of the set goal, taking into account time and financial compliance with the plan
Reasons for conducting a PR campaign. (from lectures)
1. The need to create an image as the campaign develops.
2. The need to penetrate new markets.
3. The need to create a brand to increase the market value of the brand
4. The need to overcome the crisis
5. The need for competition
6. The need for immunization
7.Change in brand name, change logo.
Planning a PR campaign: main stages.
Planning.
Based on the developed concept of a specific campaign, a future action is planned.
At the planning stage:
A joint program is being formed, with the proper execution of which the common efforts of all participants in the PR campaign lead to the achievement of specific goals;
Coordinated actions of management and all departments of the organization participating in the campaign are ensured;
It creates an opportunity for them vigorous activity;
A main course of action is created that does not allow deviating from the main one;
Efficiency of decision-making is ensured both during the preparation and during the PR-campaign.
1. planning stage;
S. Cutlip: “The information collected at the first stage allows us to identify social groups that should be covered by the program, set the goals of the program, develop action and communication strategies, program tactics”
At this stage:
· a united program is being formed, with the proper execution of which the common efforts of all participants in the PR campaign will be seen to be achieved. specific goals;
coordinated actions of the management and all departments of the organization participating in the campaign are ensured;
an opportunity is created for their proactive activity;
the main direction of action is set, which does not allow deviating from the main one;
· Efficiency of decision-making is ensured, both in the preparation and conduct of a PR campaign.
Stage functions: control and self-control, coordination of activities of departments, function of resource and budget saving, technological function, creation of the possibility of evaluating results, function of taking into account conditions.
In general, the planning stage is technological, that is, the main methods and operations have been worked out. But there arepeculiarities:
close connection of campaign planning with the goals of the organization;
planning flexibility;
a combination of creativity and technology;
accounting for types of campaigns;
Mandatory availability of planned performance evaluations and their indicators;
Phases:
setting goals, developing a strategy. Goals are being clarified; coordination of goals, determination of their priority of goals; the final formulation of goals, as a result of which a “programme”, official document is created, appearing both in the approved plan of the campaign and in the report on its implementation.
D. Burnet and S. Moriarty: “Goals should be formulated in terms that are understandable and acceptable to everyone who will be involved in their achievement. They must be specific, limited, have a period of validity, clearly define who will be affected and through what.
The formulated goal of the PR campaign allows you to proceed to the development of its strategy.
S. Cutlip: “in the practice of establishing SR, a strategy is usually called a general concept, approach or an unrealistic program plan developed to achieve a goal. Strategic planning includes identifying key community groups, establishing policies and rules for choosing a strategy, and defining the strategy itself.”
Tactical planning includes:
ü scheduling;
ü media planning;
ü budget planning;
Criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of a PR campaign
Everything in business is quantifiable and measurable. We can accurately calculate the return on investment in contextual advertising, evaluate the effectiveness of the sales department. But in the field of PR, it is almost impossible to accurately determine the effect rendered, to reflect it in numbers (in USD) and graphs. However, methods do exist. Upon request, experts from the media research agency Ex Libris give a master class on how to conduct a PR analysis and evaluate the impact of a PR campaign on business results.
PR-analysis in money:Adoor-raisingValueEequivalent
Modern InstrumentsPR analysis
All considered indicators have disadvantages and limitations. However, there is a need to quantify the impact of PR campaigns and calculate ROI (return on investment).
The most rational and affordable solution to this problem today is to build correlation models, in which media-analytical indicators correlate with financial results.
One of the most successful and promising media analytic indicators is Perfection Rate(factor of approximation to the ideal), abbreviated as PRT. Its main advantage is that it adapts to the specifics of each specific case.
PRT takes into account indicators related to:
- with the source (type and influence of the media, target audience, etc.)
- material (genre, visibility of the material),
- the object of the study (density of brand mentions, tone, the presence of quotes from speakers).
Each of the indicators is assigned one or another coefficient of significance, which affects the values of the final index. The PRT formula is adjusted not only by the number of qualitative parameters taken into account, but also by the way they are combined. Thus, one can not only choose which qualitative characteristics should be included in the calculation of the final index, but also choose which mathematical operations should be performed with the selected variables.
How it works: the case of the Coffee and the City coffee shop chain
In our case, the reference criteria are:
- Mass media with high penetration into the target audience,
- positive tone of the news;
- brand headline;
- the presence of a logo in the article;
- conveying a key message about the convenience of the “Coffee to go” format (“coffee to go”).
If a publication initiated by the PR department meets all of these characteristics, the PRT is equal to one.
Given that an ideal publication (“Top story”) is considered a publication with a PRT of 0.75, you can set KPI by the number of “Top stories” in the reporting period and / or KPI by the average PRT value for the period.
Linking PRT to business results: the Vimpelcom caseLtd
To see how media analysis data affects business results, let's take the case of a well-known international company, Vimpelcom Ltd. Let's compare the value of its shares on NASDAQ with the change in PRT and Media Presence over the course of six months in the leading and most influential international media.
Such a comparison is quite justified, since everyone knows the automatic algorithms that are quite widely used on financial exchanges and take into account the media field that has formed around the company. This helps traders to quickly make decisions about the value of assets. In this regard, we will take for analysis all references to Vimpelcom Ltd and its subsidiaries in the international and most influential national media, which have the greatest influence on the decision-making process to buy or sell shares.
Data-driven build a two-factor non-linear regression model and we get the correlation coefficient R = 0.9397. The model demonstrates a strong relationship between the growth of the company's shares and the average monthly indicators of PRT (M-PRT) and Media Presence.
According to confidence intervals For 2H2014 data, a 1% increase in M-PRT would see the quotes increase by 3%, while a 1% increase in Media Presence would strengthen Vimpelcom's asset value by an average of 1.4%. Meanwhile, for the purpose of additional verification of the model, the influence of general market factors was studied. The "dependence" of the Vimpelcom Ltd stock price on fluctuations in the NASDAQ index was calculated. This correlation turned out to be not only weak, but also negative (-68%), which may mean a complete absence of dependence and a strong influence of other causes and circumstances. However, at the same time, the actual value of the Fisher criterion turned out to be greater than its tabular value (11.33 versus 9.55), which indicates the adequacy and sufficient reliability of this model.