“We have a deep-seated desire to quantify the world around us so that we can understand it and control it.  But the world isn’t behaving,” said Roger Martin, Dean of the Rotman School.  “We must… consider the possibility that if we can’t measure something, it might be the very most important aspect of the problem.”

PR is more of an art than a science.  In other words, there’s no formula for successful PR.  In fact, Youngme Moon, marketing professor at Harvard Business School, indicates that there is such a fierce fight for market share, coupled with “too many well trained marketers”, that the market turns out a homogenous batch of “vanilla” as opposed to unique, dynamic and engaging products.  (Her latest book, Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd (Crown Business, 2010))

What are your thoughts on measuring the effectiveness of public relations?  Does PR add tangible value to your organization?