Survey: Value Creation of Communication - a Progress of Evaluation Models

Research Interest

What characterizes current models for evaluating the value added of strategic communication? Has a consistent standard been established? How can these models be further developed? What prevents their implementation in practice?

Method

Comparison of the results of working groups dealing with standards and best practices of communication measurement and evaluation.

Results

In recent years, initiatives have been formed and internationally networked in order to further develop evaluation models for the added value of strategic communication.  However, these further developments are rarely applied in practice. The studies name possible starting points to counteract this:

• Improving understanding: Increased communication with practitioners in order to disseminate and enforce the standards developed
• Opening of the models: In addition to the desired results (e.g. set goals of communication campaigns), also consider unplanned results of the communication process for the areas of entrepreneurial learning, crisis, innovation and change management
• Integration of the strategic goal definition with the necessary preparatory work as the first stage of the models
• Consideration of the effort in communication departments beyond classic campaign measurement 
  Consideration of disruptive factors: Moving away from process models with a supposedly clear cause-and-effect relationship, which are completely under the control of the communications department

In the last 10 years, fundamental models for the evaluation of communication such as the  DPRG/ICV-Bezugsrahmen für Kommunikations-Controlling have been published. Two parallel papers by key players in the further development of these evaluation models ask the same questions and come to largely similar conclusions.

Macnamara's work presents frameworks of reference for the following institutions and assesses them according to criteria of evaluation theory:

• Generaldirektorat für Kommunikation der Europäischen Kommission
• Government Communication Service (UK)
• AMEC (UK)
• New South Wales State Government (Australien)
• UK Department of Health/Public Health England (UK)

The study by Buhmann, Likely and Geddes offers an overview of important initiatives with a list of materials for familiarising oneself with the topic in the appendix and is characterised by a short and concisely formulated derivation of the thesis.

Publication

January 2018: Journal of communication Management / Alexander Buhmann, Fraser Likely, David Geddes

January 2018: International Journal of Strategic Communication / Jim Macnamara

More Information on the surveys:

Buhmann, Likely und Geddes: Communication Evaluation and Measurement: connecting research to practice

Macnamara: A review of New Evaluation Models for Strategic Communication: Progress and Gaps