What is the role of stated objectives in evaluating public relations programs?

• Clients want to know if their time, money, and efforts were well spent.
• They are measurement objectives that agree on what the criteria for success will be based off of.
• Management and PR personnel will be on the same page during the program planning.
• At the end, you can compare your set goals to see if you accomplished what you hoped for.
• “Evaluating impact/results starts in the planning stage. You break down the problem into measurable goals and objectives; then after implementing the program, you measure the results against goals.” – Albert L. Schweitzer of Fleishman Hillard

Objective Examples:

1. Specify a desired outcome (ex. Increase awareness, improve relationships, generate sales)
2. Specify target audience(s)
3. Refer to “ends” not “mean”, means to do something is a strategy
4. Include a time frame

Example:

Publicizing A New Line of Women’s Clothing

Suppose the purpose of “get publicity” is to help sell a new line of women’s clothing. While PR cannot ensure sales, a sound publicity program can generate the awareness and possibly build the motivation necessary for sales to occur. So, “get publicity” could change into “increase awareness of our new line of women’s clothing within the next six months among women in the top 10 ADIs, between the ages of 40 and 64, with household incomes of $50,000 and up.”