Formative Research

All public relations activities begin with formative research, an effort to understand the current situation. A public relations activity is like a journey. The better prepared a person is for a journey, the more pleasant it will be. For practitioners, the better prepared they are for a public relations activity, the more productive it will be for the organization or client. A public relations effort is driven by the needs of the situation. Practitioners try to overcome problems, or things that threaten the organization, or develop opportunities, or things that could benefit the organization. Often called other names, such as situational analysis or background research, formative research helps the public relations practitioner understand the problems or opportunity at hand. Formative research is the raw material for developing strategy. Two critical pieces of information for strategy development are stakeholders and the exact nature of the problem or opportunity.

Practitioners should know the stakeholders involved with the situation. They need to identify which stakeholders might be allies and support their efforts and which stakeholders might oppose their efforts, and they need to collect detailed information on who their target audiences might be. Detailed information about the target is critical when selecting communication channels and developing messages. Practitioners must know the target so that they can select media that will reach and messages that will appeal to the target. Practitioners also need to understand what makes a situation a problem or opportunity. They need to know the cause of a problem if they hope to solve it. Effective public relations solutions begin with a detailed understanding of the problem. Similarly, practitioners should understand why a situation is an opportunity if they are to effectively utilize it. In short, it is important for public relations practitioners to determine what harms or benefits a situation presents to an organization or client. An extended example will help to clarify the role of formative research.

MacCorp is located in a moderate-sized Midwestern town of about 50,000 people. Each year the local paper does an assessment of community needs and prints the top 10 issues that are important to the local community. Number 5 on this year's list was a lack of park and recreation facilities. MacCorp has some unused land that would be perfect for a park: a wooded area and a level section ideal for soccer fields. The paper's survey presents MacCorp with an opportunity to improve community relations by addressing one of the community's top needs. The public relations department's first step is identifying the key players involved in the park and recreation issue. This would include all relevant local government officials, any community groups interested in parks, local sporting groups who might use the park, local neighborhoods near the proposed site, and any state or federal agencies that might have a say in the park construction, such as the Environmental Protection Agency. Next, the public relations department seeks out more information about each stakeholder, such as how strongly each is committed to the issue, what each would like to see in a new park, and whether or not some groups might oppose the company's efforts.

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