Google Is Not a Strategy
Let’s be honest. When most people say they’ve “done their research,” they really mean they skimmed a few headlines, clicked on a blog from 2017, and asked ChatGPT for a vibe check.
Or worse, they’ve just decided they “have a good feel” for their target audiences and are running with it as they build their annual brand strategies.
However, good PR has more in common with engineering than art class. Sure, it’s creative, but the creative only begins once the hard research is completed. When our team comes up with a plan, it’s only after we’ve spent time using the scientific method to test the various publics with which we’ll be engaged.
Let me tell you a story.
Once upon a time, a well-meaning organization launched a campaign encouraging young people to “unplug” and enjoy nature. Lovely, right? They chose the slogan #GetOffTheGrid and splashed it across every platform. Except, in a twist no one saw coming (because no one Googled it properly), #GetOffTheGrid was already in widespread use by people who were...let’s say...enthusiastically opposed to government surveillance and fond of prepping for the apocalypse.
Oops.
Why did this happen? Simple: They skipped the research.
Here’s the thing: high-quality research is the unsung hero of every successful PR effort. It’s about accurately identifying the most critical audiences and knowing what matters most to them and how they’ll receive the information you want to share. It’s also about finding the people who will come after you and building a strategy to address their attacks.
Let’s take it step by step, using our #GetOffTheGrid example:
The organization wants to communicate with young people. What matters most to them? What’s preventing them from visiting the great outdoors? Where are they getting their information, and to whom are they listening?
The answers to these questions aren’t anecdotal (qualitative). Your secretary’s two sons and your next-door neighbor’s kid aren’t evidence enough to support PR investment. If you can, you’ll want to gather (quantitative) survey data about the population(s) you’re targeting so you’ll know with certainty how to approach the work. Fun note: you don’t always have to pay for it yourself. You can sometimes find scientific data through secondary sources.
Survey data are great because they tell you what people think. To be effective, however, you’ll want to study why they think it. That’s when you can bring your secretary’s two sons and your next-door neighbor’s kid to be part of a focus group to probe their attitudes, beliefs, and values. You can also test your messaging and approach to move forward confidently.
These are just the basics. Many other research tools are available to help you dig as deeply as you’d like into the inner workings of your audiences’ minds. For instance, you could wander the woods and do informal interviews of the young people you find there.
Research isn't just due diligence. It’s creative fuel.
The best campaigns aren’t born in a brainstorm but in a spreadsheet. Data tells you what people care about. Trends show you where they’re headed. Competitor analysis tells you what not to do (thanks again, 2015 Pepsi ad). And audience research? It tells you how to connect authentically instead of yelling, “How do you do, fellow kids?” into the void.
Good research answers the big questions:
What does success look like? How will we measure it, and when?
Who are we really talking to?
What do our audiences need, love, fear, eat for lunch, and hate on Tuesdays?
Research also helps you anticipate crises long before they happen. If there’s a chance one or more of your publics are losing interest, you’ll spot it in the data well before it happens.
So please, before you plan a ribbon-cutting, tweet a hot take, or greenlight that “viral” TikTok dance idea, do your research.
Because at the end of the day, a well-researched PR campaign is like a good pair of Spanx: nobody notices it when it’s working perfectly—but everyone notices when it’s not.