P&G debuts measurement tool calculating PR’s value

Has Procter & Gamble found the promised land of public relations ROI measurement?

Although interesting to hear, what they haven’t yet published is exactly how they calculate the return from PR. I don’t expect them to anytime soon – P&G is typically tight-lipped about how they run their business, and anything remotely proprietary. But it definitely has me curious.

Depending on the environment, I’ve seen PR measured based on pure media impressions, and PR measured based on very direct marketing-oriented response metrics. I feel PR should always be measured somewhere in between. A well-planned, well-executed PR strategy should have plenty of very measurable objectives that directly fuel a company’s bottom line. But PR has lasting impact on a marketplace that can and should also be measured – and valued by companies investing in public relations activities.

ROI measurement for PR will continue to be a hot topic. See how others have tackled the issue here, here and here.