I came across an interesting survey report today on how the internet is changing PR. The survey was conducted by Ireland-based PR practitioner Tom Murphy through his PR Opinions blog.
Although the survey was carrried out in February and published in March, I’d not seen it before (I hadn’t evolved into my active-blogging mode at that time). The survey involved PR practitioners in the US and in Europe, so has credible validity.
Tom points out that rather than reflecting the opinions of the PR industry as a whole, the survey represents the views of a relatively small sample of more technologically-advanced practitioners (59 people took the survey). This assumption is supported by the high levels of use of new technology recorded by the participants.
Key findings:
- Respondents were unanimous in the belief that the Internet has been positive for Public Relations.
- Over 65% of those surveyed believe that the Internet has enhanced the relationship between PR practitioners and journalists.
- There is no consensus around a common approach to PR measurement. Most respondents use a combination of measurement tools, which differ widely from one practitioner to the next.
- The most popular trends effecting Public Relations over the next three years are a rise in the number of individuals publishing content, growth in the number of media outlets and generally more noise in the marketplace.
- Less than ten percent of respondents fear that PR will become less important in the next three years.
Read the full survey report: PR Opinion Survey March 2004