PUBLIC RELATIONS FORUM

The objectives of public relations

Public relations objectives fall into two distinct camps:

Awareness/informational objectives are the most common and easiest public relations objectives to achieve, but they can be difficult to measure.
Motivational objectives may well be more difficult to achieve but ironically it is argued that they tend to be easier to measure because they are ‘bottom-line’ oriented and are based on clearly measurable results that can be quantified. In short, behaviour is easier to observe than cognitive effects but it is more difficult to prompt.

If an objective is to be measured effectively it needs to be defined clearly. There is no point in stating that the objective is ‘to increase awareness’ or ‘to change attitude’. Answers to questions such as ‘of what’ and ‘by whom’ need to be added.

When writing public relations objectives, it is important to discuss:

the nature of the intended change
the target public
the outcome to be achieved
the amount of change desired
a target date for achieving the outcome

This translates into the following guidelines:

Begin with “to” followed by a verb describing the direction to the intended outcome. Possibilities include: “to increase”, “to decrease,” and “to maintain.”
Specify the outcome to be achieved. Again three possible outcomes: knowledge, predisposition or behaviour. Each objective should spell out a single, specific outcome.
State the magnitude of change or level to be maintained in measurable terms. The watchwords are quantifiable and realistic. A combination of judgement based on experience and benchmark data is used to set outcome levels.
Set the target date for when the outcome is to be achieved. Typically, outcomes must be achieved in order, with one necessary before another.