Objective Failure

A baseline requirement for any successful public relations measurement program is to begin with measurable objectives.  If the program objectives are not measurable, any effort to determine program success becomes subjective.  The most common problem I have observed in all types of strategic plans during my career is poorly written objectives.  So why is this so difficult?  Two errors are common:

 

·         Writing objectives that are not specific enough with respect to metrics and timeframe to be measurable

 

·         Confusing Objectives with Strategies

 

An Objective is What you want to accomplish.  It should have two essential elements – the specific target you hope to achieve and the timeframe in which you plan to achieve it.  Here are a couple of examples:

 

Poorly Constructed Objectives

·         Increase awareness of product XYZ

 

·         Increase brand consideration for ABC

 

Properly Written Objectives

·         Increase awareness of Product XYZ from 15 to 25% in the next twelve months

 

·         Increase brand consideration for ABC from 45 to 75% by year-end 2007

 

 

Generally, most people’s Objectives are actually Strategies.  They are How you hope to accomplish the goal, not What you ultimately wish to accomplish with the program.  Sentences like:

 

Position product XYZ as the technology leader in the segment   or  

Enhance visibility of brand ABC amongst 24 – 35 audience  

would most likely be presented erroneously as Objectives, not Strategies.

 

Here’s an easy way to remember the difference:

 

Objective	What you want to accomplish
Strategy	How you intend to achieve the Objective
Tactic	Using or with what tools and techniques

 

 

It’s free, easy and absolutely necessary…so why don’t we do a better job of writing Objectives we can actually measure?    

 

Thanks for reading, Don B