Deck 3: Categorial/Qualitative Analysis

Question 1

What categorical or qualitative information sources might be used to provide PR professionals with information to help define audiences or attitudes that could aid in creating a campaign?

Answer 1

In creating a PR campaign categorical sources can include a wide range of options. From setting an alert for certain words, phrases, product or company names, to textual analysis from high-powered software. Other sources commonly employed are software that simply searches for designated words or phrases within a certain prescribed proximity to each other or focus groups and extended interviews based on questions that are written to elicit impressions and opinions.

Question 2

Which is better, quantitative or qualitative/categorical information?
Why?
Under what circumstances?

Answer 2

Neither is necessarily better than the other. The use of a specific research tool depends on multiple factors including deadline, budget and availability of survey or other research resources. The situation being researched also is important. For example, if the topic is relatively new or unknown, it may be best to use qualitative methods to gather impressions and to understand the reaction of potential target audience members to the new idea, product, policy or even person. If the topic is one that has had wide attention and information, quantitative methods such as surveys may be the correct solution.

Question 3

What might an organization learn from scanning comments from stakeholders on its social media pages?

Answer 3

An organization may find a wealth of information from social media or it may find scant mentions. PR people may be able to glean inferences or opinion directions from comments and the number of mentions. Using more powerful software for natural language analysis, an organization may find deeper insights that can lead to insights that may be actionable and support its communications efforts.

Question 4

What are the three essential ingredients of research tools as PR moves through the 20th century?
Do you think they will continue to be vital to measurement of PR and communications?
Which ones will continue to change and why?
How will PR be affected?

Question 5

Search for natural language or text processing on the Internet and write an essay about new developments, especially those that could be beneficial to PR profes?
sionals and clients. Try to project what kinds of projects or campaigns would be most helped by the developments you uncover.