Objectives

Objectives are central to a strategic approach to public relations action. An objective is created from the information collected through formative/background research. Evaluative research is used to determine whether or not the public relations action achieved the objective—whether it was a success or a failure. (Refer to “Formative Research” for clarification on the connection between objectives and public relations research.)

Objectives are generally written using the word to and then an action verb, such as increase, reduce, earn, or convince. An objective must be quantifiable; you must be able to measure it in some way. Moreover, the objective should specify the amount of desired change stated as a number or percentage. It is the specificity of an objective that creates the clear standard for judging success. The following objectives are measurable and specific: (a) “to increase attendance at the 2004 charity auction to 120” and (b) “to convince 60% of employees to support the restructuring proposal.” A person can count the number of participants to determine if 120 people attended or use a survey to assess employee support for the restructuring program to see if it reaches 60%. Evaluation becomes possible because of the ability to measure an objective and compare it against a specific standard. Some experts recommend that an objective include a target date or deadline. This increases specificity by indicating the date for the desired change to be achieved. You need to decide what time frame is appropriate for your objective. For instance, the second objective could be rewritten as “to convince 60% of employees to support the restructuring proposal by the end of June.”

There are many different types of objectives. One distinction is between process and outcome objectives. A process objective checks to determine if certain steps were taken in the preparation and execution of a public relations action. Sample process objectives include writing a news release, getting approval of Web pages, or securing a permit for a city park. Each of these actions can be converted to a full objective. “To send out a news release to 20 media outlets by July 7.” “To receive management approval of the Web pages by October 13th.” “To secure the permit for the park development fun run by March 11th.” All three of these objectives are measurable; you have either completed the action or not, and each one has a set time for when the action should be completed. Process objectives address the question, “Did we do what we were supposed to do?” A public relations action can fail because a certain action or step was not taken. Process objectives are a checklist for actions or steps that must be taken in your public relations action. This checklist is developed as part of the planning process and used to review the execution of the public relations action.

Outcome objectives are used to determine the success or failure of the public relations action. An outcome objective specifies what the public relations action hoped to achieve. A proper outcome [Page 622]objective often includes the target stakeholder(s) because the public relations message and actions are designed to reach and focus and affect a specific target stakeholder(s). When appropriate, includes the target stakeholder(s) because the public relations message and actions are designed to reach and focus and affect a specific target stakeholder in the objective. The objective “to convince 60% of employees to support the restructuring proposal by the end of June” indicates employees are the target. You do not includes the target stakeholder(s) because the public relations message and actions are designed to reach and focus and affect a specific target stakeholder if you are trying to reach a very general audience as in the objective “to increase attendance at the 2004 charity auction to 120.”

...