Helps determine who the campaign should reach. Helps determine
who to communicate with. Helps determine the best channel for
communicating. Helps determine what the message should include.
Helps understand the background/history of those we are
communicating with. Other reasons?
Slide 3
Research is the starting point of a PR project, campaign, or
assignment. In order to solve a public relations problem, research
must be conducted first. Most clients are less interested in what
PR professionals think than what they know. This is why it is
important to use data to support what you know.
Slide 4
Research can be used so that PR professionals can show their
efforts. Often times, PR professionals use three Os to determine
whether or not their work was effective Outputs- De we get the
coverage we wanted? Fashion coverage can be useless if it is not
the type that was desired Outtakes- Did our target audience see and
believe our message? Were our efforts strong enough to change
consumers minds, or persuade them to buy our product? Outcomes- Did
our audiences behavior change? Did we see an increase in sales,
more traffic in stores, more attendees at an event, greater desire
for a particular style or color?
Slide 5
Research is crucial to any PR plan because it helps: Segment
audiences into target markets If you are an organization selling
high priced merchandise and targeting college students, your plan
of targeting the correct audience will be ineffective. Analyzes
audience preferences Trend forecasters often research trends and
colors, it is then the merchandisers and marketing teams that
research ways to make those desired by the target market. It is
important to know what your target market likes and dislikes.
Slide 6
Research: a systematic collection and interpretation of
information to increase understanding A PR professional must
acquire enough accurate and relevant data about its publics,
products, services, and programs to answer several PR
questions.
Slide 7
How can we identify and define our constituent groups?
Products? Region? Price? Income? *Demographics are key* How does
this knowledge help us develop our messages? Determining who we are
communicating with will help us decide what the message is How does
this relate to designing programs? Not all programs work with each
target market. Programs can be based on gender, race, orientation,
religion, income, age, etc.
Slide 8
How does it relate to the media we use to convey our messages?
Conveying our message via social media sites work much better for
younger audiences than placing the same message in Readers Digest
and other print sources. Print sources might be more beneficial
when attempting to reach other age demographics. How does it relate
to the implementation tactics of our program? Tactics are used to
help target markets appeal to a particular program. The tactics
used must intrigue your target market.
Slide 9
Establish objectives that lead to company goals Differentiate
between measuring outputs (press coverage) and outcomes (changes in
awareness, attitude, behavior) This can be very difficult to do.
Measure media content in the first step of evaluation Be cautious
of comparing public relations effectiveness with advertising
effectiveness the price of advertising; comparing apples to oranges
Be sure to understand your target markets in order to deliver clear
messages to the right individuals.
Slide 10
Describe a process, situation, or phenomenon. Explain why
something is happening, what the causes are, and what the effect
is. Predict what will most likely happen if action is or is not
taken.
Slide 11
Applied Research: is either strategic or evaluative, designed
to answer a specific question Strategic: used primarily in program
development to determine objectives, message strategies, and create
benchmarks. Evaluative: used primarily to determine if a PR plan
has accomplished its goals and objectives.
Slide 12
Theoretical: more abstract and conceptual than applied. It
helps build theories of why people communicate, how public opinion
is formed and how a public is created. There are many theories on
all of these. Serves as a framework for persuasion.
Slide 13
Secondary: research that was completed by someone elses primary
research, desk research Often cheap, and since PR programs
typically follow a budget, professionals use secondary research
first Online database, trade journals, libraries, census data,
public records, informal contacts, company accounts, etc.
Slide 14
Research is very in-depth. Students should have a knowledge of
what it is, and how to apply it to fashion scenarios. Understanding
research methods will help students be able to apply the best
technique to their fashion situations.
Slide 15
Three most commonly used methods in PR today: Surveys- designed
to reveal attitudes and opinions Communications Audits- reveals
flaws in communication between management and target audiences
Unobtrusive Measures- fact-finding, content analysis, and
readability studies that enable the study of a subject without
involving the researcher.
Slide 16
One of the most frequently used methods of research in fashion
They are used to receive feedback from consumers Descriptive-
describe the current situation or condition; captures reality at a
specific point Public Opinion Poll Explanatory- concerned with
cause and effect, explain why a current situation or condition
exists, and offer explanations for opinions and attitudes. Use the
word Why to come to conclusions Why arent customers receiving good
customer service? Why arent customers redeeming coupons? Why arent
customers believing our messages? Surveys include four elements:
sample, questionnaire, interview, analysis of results
Slide 17
The sample is the selected target group. Must be representative
of the total public whose views are sought Sampling should be done
quickly Difficult to do Ex. If you are attempting to understand
customers attitudes of your brand, through surveying techniques
then ideally every customer must be offered the survey. If a survey
is given to every other customer, then the sample is already
flawed. A person who had either a positive or negative experience
could be left out of the sample because they were the other in
every other survey given. Surveys are often only completed by those
who are extremely passionate about or oppose a particular
topic.
Slide 18
Random Sampling: based on equality and independence Equality-
no element has any greater or lesser chance of being selected
Independence- selecting any one element in no way influences the
selection of any other element.
Slide 19
Simple Random Sampling- gives all members of the population an
equal chance of being selected Systematic Random Sampling- uses a
random starting point from a sample list and then includes every
nth individual. Stratified Random Sampling- used to survey
different segments or strata of the population Used in
organizational communication structures Cluster Sampling- breaking
the population down into small heterogeneous subsets and then
selecting the potential sample
Slide 20
Convenience Samples- unstructured, unsystematic, designed to
elicit ideas. People on the street Quota Sampling- choose subjects
on the basis of certain characteristics- women, men, black, white,
rich, poor. Often increases homogeneity, which helps validate the
study Volunteer Samples- willing participants who agree voluntarily
to respond to concepts and hypotheses for research purposes
Slide 21
What you want to find out should influence the specific publics
you ask, the questions you raise, and the research method you
choose Keep it short- no more than 5 minutes Use structured rather
than open-ended questions, provide responses for Other Measure
Intensity of Feelings Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, Very
Dissatisfied
Slide 22
Do not use fancy words; remember semantics Do not ask loaded
questions Did you find everything in the store you were looking
for? The answer is usually NO Do not asked double-barreled
questions Did you find the right sizes in our store, or were the
sizes you needed gone? Pretest Attach a letter explaining the
importance of the respondents answers
Slide 23
Mail Questionnaire with commemorative stamps expensive Follow
up- if your questionnaire is being mailed Send out more
questionnaires than necessary Enclose a reward usually in retail a
particular % off of at item.
Slide 24
Interviews- Provide more personal feel for public opinion Focus
groups- 90-120 minute discussion usually no more than 10
individuals with a predetermined common characteristic. Buying
habits, age, income, etc. Must have moderator. Define objective and
audience Recruit your group Choose the right moderator- establish
rapport quickly Conduct enough focus groups Use a discussion guide
Choose proper facilities Keep a tight rein on observers Consider
using outside help
Slide 25
Telephone Interviews- suffer a high refusal rate; caller ID
helps participants ignore unwanted and unknown callers Email
Interviews- least expensive, low response rate, suffers from biases
Drop-Off Interviews- combines face-to- face and mail interviews.
Usually conducts a face-to-face interview and then leaves a
questionnaire afterward (Not Very Common Anymore)
Slide 26
Intercept Interviews- researchers gathers respondents on the
street, shopping malls, or retail outlets. Delphi Panels-
qualitative research tool that uses opinion leaders to help tailor
the design of a general public survey. Internet Interviews- most
widely used, some studies have found that they have significantly
lower responses than mailed surveys.
Slide 27
Analysis is done to produce meaningful recommendations. The
purpose of every sample is to come up with results that are valid
and reliable.
Slide 28
Becoming an important method of research amongst PR
professionals. Help define the relationships between management
objectives and the communication methods to promote those
objectives. They are typically completed to define the standing of
a company with its employees and community to assess readership of
communications or to examine the companys social responsibility
standing.
Slide 29
Can be broad or narrow, depends on the organizations demands.
Measures the effectiveness of communications and whether or not
they met predetermined goals.
Slide 30
Existing Communication Programs- methods and media Existing
Communications Vehicles- publications, manuals, slides,
teleconferencing, meetings, social media Uneven Communications
Workloads Employees Working at Cross-Purposes
Slide 31
Hidden Information That Is Not Being Used- Someone with good
ideas not being heard Bottlenecked Information Flow- Where does
communication stop or slow within an organization Conflicting
Notions about What the Organization is and Does- This is where the
companys mission becomes very important Many other reasons for
completing an audit
Slide 32
Analysis begins by: Studying all pertinent literature about the
organization Analyzing competitive literature to compare and
contrast Conduct interviews with top management and move downward
to detect areas of commonality and discontinuity Recommendations
are then made from the knowledge gained by completing the audit An
audit should be done every couple of years
Slide 33
Fact Finding no action can be taken unless the facts are known
Content Analysis Frequency of Coverage- how many releases were used
Placement Within the Publication- did releases appear more on pg. 1
or pg. 21 People Reached- Circulation or web hits where the
releases appeared Messages Conveyed- Did they express the
organizations goals or just informational? Editing of Releases- How
much of the submitted copy was edited? Attitude Conveyed- was the
organization positive, negative, or neutral
Slide 34
Evaluation-designed to determine what happened and why by
measuring results against established objectives. Helps determine
if a program should be continued, revised, or eliminated.
Evaluation helps hold PR professionals accountable for their
spending and time. PR professionals must evaluate what they have
done to determine whether or not the expense was worth it.
Slide 35
Evaluation depends on 5 things: Setting measurable program
objectives Securing Management Commitment Determine the Best Way To
Gather Data Reporting Back to Management Selecting the Most
Appropriate Outcomes
Slide 36
Awareness and Comprehension Measurement- the consumer received
the message directed at them, paid attention to the message, and
understood the message.
Slide 37
Recall and Retention Measurement- does the message have a
lasting impact on the consumer? Messages are sent to consumers
everyday, and chances are your consumer has seen yours. But can the
consumer remember and recall what was said in the message?
Slide 38
Attitude and Preference Measurement- How the message moved a
consumers attitudes, opinions, and preferences. Opinion and
attitude research.
Slide 39
Behavior Measurement- ultimate test of effectiveness. Did the
message get your consumer to buy or do what was desired from the PR
plan?
Slide 40
Using the internet as a research tool can tell the PR
professional many things: Unique visitors Returning visitors Total
time spent on a site Downloads Links from other sites Google page
rank Content popularity Sale
Slide 41
So many distractions that using the web is not always accurate
research Did someone spend idle time on the website, Someone just
looking at pictures and not really paying attention to the messages
Did someone accidentally click your link Is your website not
functioning properly Click-throughs are not always an indicator of
consumer behavior
Slide 42
The value of using web research is that it is: Intimate- can
bring organizations closer to their publics Precision- provide more
detailed answers about consumers Timeliness- almost instantaneous
Cost- considerable less expensive to produce
Slide 43
There are firms that specialize in attitude and opinion
surveying. Sometimes it can be cheaper to use an outside firm, and
sometimes it can be more expensive. Be sure to determine if
research on a particular subject has already been completed.
Slide 44
Research- Organizations structure History Mission Products and
Services Competitors Publics Organizations goals Past Issues &
Crises Current Opportunities
Slide 45
Action Objectives Strategy Tactics Training Resources
Implementation
Slide 46
Communication Campaign Theme External messages Internal
messages Spokesperson Media Selection
Slide 47
Evaluation Pre and post campaign surveys External public
Internal public Media Impact on sales Competitors responses
Recommendations for future
Slide 48
Research answers many questions about PR plans. PR
professionals must engage in research and evaluation in order to be
successful. PR professionals must constantly keep track of what is
being said about them by consumers. Often fashion interns are
responsible for web searches for their organizations to see if they
are appearing on the internet Often with retail and fashion the
most used evaluation technique is focusing on sales numbers.
Slide 49
Seitel, F.P. (2011). The Practice of Public Relations. Prentice
Hall: Boston.