Public relations isn't like marketing and sales, which can directly measure for results.
Toyota and Ford can get hard, scientific numbers on advertising and marketing campaigns by running different campaigns in similar markets, then comparing the sales results.
In public relations, numbers and other data are hard to find.
Name recognition is one exception.
There's an old saying, "I don't care why I'm in the paper, as long as they spell my name right." It's usually said as a joke. Most public figures only want the get media attention for doing good things. They don't want to see their mugshot in the paper for getting drunk and punching out the bouncer at a bar in Vegas.
Yet name recognition has such power that I bet you can name a dozen people who you know all about, not because they're talented or smart or beautiful, but because they're famous for being famous.
You know their name, and if you called a friend and said that name, they'd know it, too. Paris Hilton. The Kardashian sisters. Levi Johnston.
Name recognition has a lot of power. There's a cast member on Jersey Shore who calls himself The Situation -- he ordered pizza on the phone once, using that name -- who's on track to earn $5 million in 2010. There are people on Broadway who can sing, dance and act circles around this man, but they don't have the name recognition. So they're not making $5 million.
It's not fair, and it's not right, but name recognition trumps talent and skill.
One of the most painful phrases is, "Never heard of 'em."
Public relations is partially about building up a good reputation for your organization, or your clients, and a big part of that is simply "getting the name out there."
If the average person has never heard of your organization or your client, you're sunk. Building up name recognition is one of the fundamentals.
It's one of the reasons politicians spend so much money on signs, TV ads and radio ads. They're trying to persuade you, sure.
They're also making sure you recognize the name, because when voters fill out their ballots and see a bunch of names they don't know -- "never heard of 'em" -- they aren't voting for them. When a director sees the name of an actor and says, "never heard of 'em," it's a safe bet their not getting the job.
For every public figure and organization, name recognition is fundamental.
The most successful companies in the world understand the power of name recognition. You can't imagine a seven-year-old saying, "McDonald's? Never heard of 'em." Four-year-olds who can't name the president know who Ronald McDonald is.
Coke and Pepsi, Apple and Microsoft, Ford and Toyota spend billions on advertising not just to sell their latest product. They're spending money to keep their name viable and strong for the next generation of consumers.