As early as the 1920s, the ad industry was embracing the science of psychology.
The idea that one needed to understand how an audience thought; their fears and aspirations birthed the concept of planning. The fact that the message in advertising can be tightly controlled, repeated frequently and experimentally tested has helped make advertising evaluation a more scientific and robust process. I would argue that the size of the media budgets is one of the key reasons that marketing directors insist that evaluation is an integral part of the plan.
While PR practitioners craft the message; manage it and are creative about the channels we use, we don't entirely control that message, nor can we repeat the same message ad infinitum, we are reliant on that all-important third-party endorsement. It's what makes us such a powerful force, but one that has previously defied measurement. Consider our origins: Ed Bernhays is often credited as being the father of public relations.
Starting in a New York coffee shop, he began to work for celebrities and industries fearful of bad press. The celebrities wanted their faces in the papers, and the industries wanted their faces out of the papers. Pretty simple to evaluate - you're either in or you're out.
Having seen the industry evolve over the last 20 years, there have been a number of factors that brought about a change to the way clients view PR. As media costs rise while the same media fragments, clients need alternative ways to talk to audiences. One of the biggest drivers of media fragmentation is the internet, and it's been one of the most important drivers for the PR industry, as a medium more in tune with public relations and also as a research tool.
As significant a force is PR, entering the boardroom in the form of investor relations, financial communications and, here in China, the launch of new firms in the marketplace and a consumer base in constant flux. It is the PR team which counsels the CEO and CFO. This new status is causing a major re-evaluation of the importance of public relations.
As to the difficulty of evaluation? We have seen that a strong reputation has a tangible benefit on share price. A recent survey of Fortune 1000 executives, illustrated that when reputation is thought of favourably, respondents were four times as likely to invest or recommend the company's stock, select the company as a joint venture partner and pay a premium for the company's product or services, not to mention give the company the benefit of the doubt in a crisis situation.
Public relations planning and evaluation is open to all. From the lone operator to the large firm, everyone can make a step change. But perhaps the best piece of advice I was given by a senior ad guy, when asked how we could compete more effectively, was: 'Stop being a victim.'