The International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC) strains one’s brain, what with listening to hundreds of new research studies presented over just a few days. Many of them deal with PR and communications theory, and, while the research is interesting, for the most part it’s hard to find a way to use it in your daily measurement life.
Then on the other hand, there are the papers that are of more obvious and practical use. You just know you’ll be quoting them extensively over the next year or two. Here they are:
The best new thing
Buchele, et. al. — Internal Communications Standards
Several years ago the IPR Measurement Commission realized that, while we had come together around PR measurement standards and social media measurement standards, there was no similar effort around internal communications. Last year at the IPRRC, with input from dozens of folks in multiple countries, we got a taste of exactly how complex the process would be. So we were thrilled to see the final product presented. Read more about this effort in the article “The Best New Thing In the World: Internal Communications Measurement Standards.”
The most thought-provoking
It’s a tie between work presented by Sergei Samoilenko and Cayce Meyers…
Sergei Samoilenko — Character Assassination
Sergei Samoilenko’s paper studied the use of character assassination by political groups, lobbyists, and competitors. He identifies seven types of character attacks, including:
- Anonymous lies
- Misquoting
- Silencing
- Acts of vandalism
- Name calling
- Allegations of mental illness
- Allegations of sexual deviance
We can all call up examples of probably every one of these in the political arena. Samoilenko raised the possibility of such smear tactics spreading to other areas, including academia, where special interest groups are frequently looking to discredit a knowledge expert that may publicly disagree with their agenda. And, no, this is not a lefty conspiracy theory. It’s already happened to a prominent Cornell professor who raised the ire of America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA). While Samoilenko doesn’t offer a solution to the problem, forewarned is forearmed.
Cayce Meyers — Public Relations or “Grassroots Lobbying”?: How Lobbying Laws Are Re-Defining PR Practice
Cayce Meyers is a perennial favorite of mine at IPRRC, mostly because he is the PR profession’s personal Cassandra. A few years ago he warned us of the dangers to employers of personal social media accounts, and of effects of the proliferation of native advertising on the credibility of PR. Last year he warned us about the use of libel laws to manage online reputation on Twitter.
This year he warned us about an advisory opinion by the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE), which found that PR people who spend their days doing grassroots lobbying must register as lobbyists, with all the requisite forms and paperwork. The opinion specifically said that communications meant to influence a particular initiative were, in fact, “reportable lobbying” if the consultant controlled the delivery and had input into the content of the message. Litigation is ongoing but beware: there could be a whole lot more paperwork in our future.
The most surprising results
Ma Liang — When Loves Becomes Hate: The Dark Side of Consumer-Brand Relationships in Crisis Communication
Ma Liang’s research revealed that when people closely identify with brands, they are more likely to feel betrayal and anger when those brands screw up.
The best new approach to crisis management
Mikkel Christensen, Erika Johnston, and Thomas Albrechtsen — Mapping the Loudest Voices in Crisis Management
Mikkel Christensen, Erika Johnston, and Thomas Albrechtsen, of the University of Missouri and East Carolina University, used the NextWorks Strategy network mapping tool to very quickly go through over 45,000 conversations to identify the loudest and most relevant stakeholders and voices in a crisis.
The best news for the profession
Swenson, et. al. — Research-In-Progress: Evaluation and Measurement Programs in Private Sector Communication Departments
This is a preliminary report by a high-powered team of measurement gurus, many of whom serve on the Institute for PR’s Measurement Commission. Their interviews found that best-in-class communications leaders were aligning their activities with larger business and corporate goals.
The most important lesson for companies
Seoyeon Kim and Grace Park — From Ethical Responsibility Crisis Perceptions to Product Evaluations: Spillover Effect of an Employee Mistreatment Crisis
Kim and Park showed that if you are known to mistreat your employees, then your consumers are far more likely to take actions against your company These actions include participating in a boycott and spreading negative news about you in social media.
The worst news for PR agencies
Erica Hilton and Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed — Diversity and Inclusion: Assessing Website Recruitment Practices of PR Agencies
Hilton and Mohammed showed exactly how important diversity and inclusion are to potential hires at PR firms. Their findings: Concerns exist regarding lack of diversity among agency leadership. Translation: too many agencies are run by gray-haired white men. These concerns are not helped by the lack of trust in PR agencies’ websites, which applicants perceived to be mostly fluff. Not surprisingly, as we’ve seen with most studies of millennials, CSR is a very important factor. The study found that neither the agencies themselves nor their websites do a particularly good job of communicating the CSR message.
Research worth waiting for
Bora Yook and Kerli Kirch — Is It Real? The Impact of Fictional PR Professionals on Popular TV Shows
Yook and Kirch investigated the impact of fictional PR people on communications students’ beliefs, attitudes, and behavioral intentions about the PR profession. They conducted an online survey of 120 students, asking them about four contemporary TV characters: Olivia Pope in Scandal, Eli Gold from The Good Wife, Josslyn Carver from Mistresses, and Spencer Strassmore and Joe from Ballers. Their hypothesis, which has yet to be proven, is that identification with fictional characters is an accurate predictor of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. ∞
Thanks to Pexels on Pixabay for the image.
