PR's BIG QUESTION...what's the ROI?

Practitioners within the field are constantly being pressured to have hard evidence and clearly demonstrate the return on investment (ROI).  But how exactly do we measure the value of public relations within organizations?  Much research has been done and is still being done on how we can prove our value, but "we" practitioners know that public relations is a strong force to be reckoned with. 



Mark Weiner of PRSA writes about the steps you could take to prove to your organization the wealth in public relations.  The article titled "Make Your Case for Public Relations" provides the following steps:

• "Measure and evaluate your PR performance, whether it's requested or not."
• "Know the difference between measurement and evaluation.  Measurement is a form of arithmetic and evaluation is a form of professional and contextual analysis, from which value is derived."  (Babbie describes evaluation research as research that studies the effects of social interventions.)
•  "Make it easy for executives to understand the power of public relations by speaking the language of business. Data is power — many PR practitioners can’t define “buzz,” let alone impute a value."  (No, not Buzz Light Year or buzz like a bumble bee but when I think "buzz" in regards to public relations I think about the conversations/controversy that occurs from press releases.  In a sense we get people talking.  You want your product or idea out there, well public relations can and will find a way to get people talking about your product/idea....thus creating a "buzz." 
• "Uncover the value system in your own organization before fussing over “what to measure.” Executives will tell you what’s important — follow their guidance to reduce risk but incorporate higher forms of measurement to help them evolve."
• "Create a research, analysis and measurement culture within your own PR team. Validate success and use shortfalls as opportunities for learning."
   
   Sooner, rather than later though, I do believe that we will have to prove our efficiency through numbers.  Where is research studies going with ROI?  Who will be the all-mighty one to crack the code?