Benchmarking is a method used to assess an impact that is gaining popularity. A benchmark is a standard of comparison used by a company to track its public relations progress; research is conducted before the campaign to establish the standards of comparison. Other ways to establish a benchmark might include examining existing data to find industry averages and looking at past performance numbers.
Gronstedt (1997) describes a continuing benchmarking study done by a top European design firm. The company annually surveys its employees with questions such as “My job makes good use of my abilities” and “There are sufficient opportunities for me to improve my skills in my current job.” Employee responses are then compared to a benchmark average calculated from a large-scale survey given to other employees in more than 40 countries.
Lindenmann (1988) discusses several examples of evaluation research used by corporations. The Aetna Life and Casualty Company used before-and-after polling as part of a campaign to introduce a long-term health care plan for elderly Americans. The company’s precampaign polling revealed that a large majority of Americans incorrectly believed that Medicare coverage routinely extended to nursing home stays. After a communication campaign, the company’s polls found that more people were aware of Medicare’s limitations than had been before.
The Institute for Public Relations’ website contains many articles about evaluation research: (www.instituteforpr.com/about/ measurement_commission/publications).