contribution is easier to evaluate. The three most commonly used measures of MPR
effectiveness are number of exposures; awareness, comprehension, or attitude change;
and contribution to sales and profits.
The easiest measure of MPR effectiveness is the number of exposurescarried by the
media. Publicists supply the client with a clippings book showing all the media that
carried news about the product and a summary statement such as the following:
Media coverage included 3,500 column inches of news and photographs
in 350 publications with a combined circulation of 79.4 million; 2,500 min-
utes of air time of 290 radio stations and an estimated audience of 65 mil-
lion; and 660 minutes of air time on 160 television stations with an estimated
audience of 91 million. If this time and space had been purchased at adver-
tising rates, it would have amounted to $1,047,000.^72The exposure measure is not very satisfying because it contains no indication of how
many people actually read, heard, or recalled the message and what they thought af-
terward. Nor does it contain information on the net audience reached, because pub-
lications overlap in readership. Because publicity’s goal is reach, not frequency, it
would be more useful to know the number of unduplicated exposures.
A better measure is the change in product awareness, comprehension, orattitudere-
sulting from the MPR campaign (after allowing for the effect of other promotional
tools). For example, how many people recall hearing the news item? How many told
others about it (a measure of word of mouth)? How many changed their minds after
hearing it? In a Potato Board campaign, the board found that the number of people
who agreed with the statement “Potatoes are rich in vitamins and minerals” went
from 36 percent before the campaign to 67 percent after the campaign, a significant
improvement in product comprehension.
Sales-and-profit impact is the most satisfactory measure, if obtainable. For exam-
ple, 9-Lives sales had increased 43 percent by the end of the Morris the Cat PR cam-
paign. However, advertising and sales promotion had also been stepped up, and their
contribution has to be allowed for. Suppose total sales have increased $1,500,000, and
management estimates that MPR contributed 15 percent of the total sales increase.
Then the return on MPR investment is calculated as follows: