Don Bartholomew’s blog offers a refreshing take on the measurement and evaluation of PR, both for the old and new media worlds. He offers terminology and techniques that could be grasped by, well, anyone - which should be the sign of good public relations, right?

The received wisdom of “with advertising you pay, with PR you pray” used to floor me everytime I heard it. I mean, would a client really accept divine intervention as the only route to campaign success (and justification of the monthly fee)?

Being more or less agnostic, I’m happy to add to the debate about measuring PR which Ed Moed has eloquently summed up on his Measuring Up blog.

I agree that with the right tools in place, PR is eminently measurable. The trick is getting companies to articulate and commit to measurable objectives. For if they’re not understood and agreed by everyone involved up front, who knows what’s being measured or why?

Just going in search of “press coverage” or “raising awareness” is not enough - and businesses shouldn’t accept that from their PR advisers. If it was my money, I certainly wouldn’t.