A review of PR, Technology, Data & Insights: Igniting a Positive Return on Your Communications Investment by Mark Weiner.

Is the public relations industry good at proving its value? Apparently not, as “fewer than 10 per cent of public relations programmes can quantify a return on investment.”

That’s the shocking statistic cited by agency leader and academic Mark Weiner in PR, Technology, Data and Insights: Igniting a Positive Return on Your Communications Investment, a bracing call-to-arms for the industry to get serious on a data-driven approach.

He seeks to enable help public relations and communications teams to get better results and demonstrate value to senior leaders, with the unequivocal advice to get to grips with data and technology.

US-based Weiner, with an internationally-recognised pedigree in public relations research, is not willing to accept received wisdom, vagueness or gut instinct as a substitute for  data gathering, informed analysis, and process.

He says that public relations is often dismissed as a “soft” discipline, and sets out to give communicators the tools to provide hard evidence of its value.

Public relations practitioners should forget “what worked last time, what we did for the other client, and what qualifies as edgy.”

The book has a relentlessly commercial focus, which is a strength – ability to demonstrate contribution to business objectives, as Weiner argues, is critical for a public relations team in any sector.

This is a robust, and hugely detailed guide, moving through chapters on technology, data, insights, landscape analysis, objective setting, strategy, tactics and evaluation.

A terrific chapter on data explains what useful data actually is, how to get it, and interpret it, to help define problems and solutions. The value of a data-driven approach shows that sometimes, even scoring a piece in The Financial Times or New Yorker may look good, but if it doesn’t deliver action from your target audience, it’s pointless.

The technology focus is also very timely. Artificial intelligence (AI) in particular can seem scary. The book breaks down the everyday applications of technology, with suggestions on future trends grounded in what’s happening right now. The likely progression is set out clearly and the potential downsides of AI for the public relations profession are discussed.

But, he says, “The future of public relations will be a function of our ability to marry the best of technology with uniquely human attributes.”

On the day after the launch of GPT4 I suspect that this is a rallying cry that we can all get behind.

There’s a walkthrough on how to implement the author’s signature models, the public relations continuum and landscape analysis, which provide a framework to build a data driven, clearly planned and measurable campaign.

The advice on measurement and evaluation is relatable for anyone familiar with the AMEC framework and doesn’t skimp on the detail.

This is the sort of book that can be annotated, sections marked with post-it notes, and referred back to for practical advice.

It’s particularly useful for those working in a commercial environment, and particularly pertinent for those at senior level – for example, any public relations leader looking to build a new team, or overhaul an existing one to be more impactful.

That’s ultimately how this book proves its worth.

PR, Technology, Data & Insights: Igniting a Positive Return on Your Communications Investment
Kogan Page, 2021
£31.99

About Claire Munro

Claire Munro, Chart.PR, is an award-winning communications professional and manager with over 15 years’ experience in Scotland’s environment and housing sectors.

She’s on the Committee of CIPR Scotland, a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and holds the CIPR Diploma in Internal Communications and the AMEC International Certificate in Measurement and Evaluation.