ABSTRACT
At present, in the early 2000s, new tools for managing and evaluating communication strategies gain in importance all over the world. Beyond the traditional measurement of effects, they are mainly used to demonstrate how communication contributes to profitability and increase of shareholder value. This has been clearly demonstrated by the Global Benchpoint study (2004), which was based on interviewing 1,000 public relations professionals in over 25 countries (Gaunt & Wright, 2004: 37). Three-quarters of those interviewed state that new methods are necessary to determine the return on investment (ROI) of communication programs. This is considered an advantage in any internal competition for resources and competencies. A similar picture is described by the study “Best Practice in the Measurement and Reporting of Public Relations and ROI,” published in 2004 by the British Institute of Public Relations. In the private sector, three out of four companies state that they evaluate their communication measures on a regular and proactive basis or at least sporadically (IPR, 2004). Fifty-nine percent plan to considerably improve in this area. However, so far they lack sustainable methods to do so.
