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Dylan Macphie

https://www.cision.com/resources/articles/race-model-pr-campaign-planning/

Keywords: PR research, Campaign planning, Measurable objectives, Audience

PR research isn’t only a starting point for campaign planning; it is the foundation that builds long-term success. Insights provided by Jen Barth and Katie Delahaye Paine emphasize that PR without research is a guessing game that does not benefit companies or products in the long run. 

Why PR Research Dictates Strategy

In both episodes, PR Research with Jen Barth (Episode 97) and On Top of PR: The Power of PR Measurement with Katie Delahaye Paine, there is a recurring topic that PR is measurable and data-driven. Some of the main practices suggested are:

• Formative research before planning: Understanding the audience and cultural context before starting any campaign. 
• Process evaluation: Monitoring the performance of messaging in real time as opposed to post-campaign.
• Measurable objectives: Objectives of a PR campaign have to be linked to the business and communication objectives. 
• Listening tools and feedback: Use of listening to feedback to make adjustments to the campaign strategy. 
• Outcome evaluation: Focus on trust building and changes rather than measuring first impressions. 

Research improves strategic decision making and reduces campaign risk by messages and research rather than assumptions and guessing throughout the process. Research is essential to define a target audience and set objectives that are measurable before execution. 

Listen to these podcasts here:

PR Research with Jen Barth & On Top of PR

Dove “Real Beauty Bottles” Campaign 

A campaign that didn’t use what was suggested is Dove, which created the “Real Beauty Bottles”. This concept aimed at highlighting diversity through releasing bottles of body wash in different shapes that represent different body types. 

At first glance, this campaign seemed to follow the foundation of beauty that Dove created, but upon further look, criticism arose, and consumers saw how inappropriate the campaign actually was.

https://www.dove.com/ca/en/stories/campaigns/dove-beauty-diversity.html

What Went Wrong?

Rather than encouraging consumer empowerment, the campaign raised issues with body image and treated body types as “categories”. Dove did not take into account the emotions involved in body positivity. This could have been avoided if Dove had conducted proper formative research before starting the campaign. 

The Research Gap That Led to Failure

Dove did not conduct qualitative research, such as focus groups that measure emotional responses to advertising. They did not test for cultural sensitivity when developing messages related to body image. They also lacked pre-testing messages to find out how a certain target audience would perceive this concept. 

According to Katie Delahaye Paine, measurements and analysis in public relations should be concentrated on outcomes, rather than intentions. The intention behind this campaign was good, but because of the lack of research, it ended poorly.

Why This Is Important

This case is useful because it isn’t a “bad ad”, it was a research failure that could’ve been prevented through taking the proper steps for a campaign. It shows that even experienced and well-known brands can misjudge certain audiences when there isn’t proper testing or research.

Team, D. C. E. (2024, June 28). Celebrate beauty diversity with limited edition bottles. dove. https://www.dove.com/ca/en/stories/campaigns/dove-beauty-diversity.html

Celebre, A., & Waggoner Denton, A. (n.d.-a). Magazine issue 2 2014 / issue 19. The Inquisitive Mind. https://www.in-mind.org/article/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-of-the-dove-campaign-for-real-beauty

Relations, A. P. (n.d.). On top of PR with Jason Mudd: Top public relations podcast. On Top of PR with Jason Mudd | top public relations podcast. https://www.axiapr.com/podcast

Using the race model in PR campaign planning. Cision. (n.d.). https://www.cision.com/resources/articles/race-model-pr-campaign-planning/

YouTube. (n.d.). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CF8dRXS_po