Simplifying Research

"Public Relations starts with research and ends with evaluation".....this is one of those fundamental aspects of PR that has been driven into me and my fellow classmates' heads since we steped foot into the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication, "J-School" is what we have nicknamed it. However this statement is true. As budding PR practitioners we must not only know what to do and do it well, but we must know why and how we go about the "doing"; this is knowing how and why to implement a public relations strategy or activity and being able to measure the results. This is the meaning of reseach and evaluation. There are many types, models, approaches and categories of research but the basis is the same. There are methodical ways of gathering information to analyze what should be done to allieviate problem(s). So to better understand research in public relations for myself, I created a exercise to complete. I was given a packet of information about research in public relations from one of my professors, Dr. LaRae Donnellan, APR, CPRC. The information packet is titled: PR Research Methods. The information in the packet plainly spells out all aspects of research as it relates to public relations. One section that I have paid close attention to is the categories of research. In this section client research, problem/opportunity research and publics research are explained. What stood out to me was client reaearch and the questions that were posed for deeper understanding. Client research can be defined as "research about the client" (Donnellan, 3).

With the definition, this section lists a series of questions you can ask of or research about your client. Donnellan explains that "before you take a job at a new company or for a new client, you should start by doing research about that client." (Donnellan, 3). Basically, research should be done before seeking employment. Since I am a senior and have a little over 6 months until I graduate, researching overall information about organizations I want to work for as well as actually appling for jobs are things I am being encouraged to do now. So I decided to see how much information I would be able to obtain about one of my ideal jobs. I selected the Johnson Publishing Company to be the study of my research exercise. I selected a few questions Donnellan suggests researching your job. They are as follows:

Is the job/client publicly held? No. JPC is a privately held company which means that it is a for profit business and is not operated by the government.
How is it funded? JPC is funded by the services and products it produces. JPC is the largest African-American owned publishing company that prodeces both Ebony and Jet Magazines as well as a series of books. Additionally, JPC has lines of hair and beauty products and produces a annual fashion production.
What reputation does it have with customers? JPC is a well-trusted company in the black community. Many customers use it as one of the top sources of information and content concerning this demographic. They also support the company's initatives and events.


I conducted this reserch through secondary and casual sources. I browsed the company website and engaged in dialogue with customers. With conducting this research I have gained a better understanding of how JPC works as a business as well as what people think about what they are doing and the impact they have. These findings are knowledge I did not have before and may not have explored before seeking job opportunities with this company. However, I have learned the value of research; It is a formative step that must be taken before any activity can be implemented.

Source: PR Research Methods by Dr. LaRae Donnellan, APR, CPRC.
www.johnsonpublishing.com