Data in Public Relations, Social Media, and Advertising

Chapter Written by Ana’aya McGowan Mozell

Learning Objectives

  • Explain the role of data in modern public relations, specifically how it is used for campaign effectiveness, behavioral insights, and message adjustments.

  • Gain an understanding of how big data can optimize various aspects of a business, such as resource management, operational efficiency, and product development, in the context of public relations.

  • Discuss the emerging role of Artificial Intelligence in the field of public relations, including its potential benefits and disruptions.

Data is used or generated by nearly everything we do in society. It’s no surprise data is a big part of the modern public relations (PR) that we know today. PR businesses use the knowledge of data as their number one priority as a digital marketing strategy since public relations is known as a business of influence and understanding of who, what, and how their audience is connected with them and how they resonate with the brand or business. This strategy gives the brand, organization, or company a well-rounded understanding of what and who their target audience is, their profit numbers, and high and low insights on what could be the next waves of marketing.

But, first, what is public relations?

Public relations is the practice of managing and building a positive public image for a company or organization. The PR experts learn how to create media for their brand for press releases of social media messages that help shape the public’s opinion on the brand or company. This helps to increase brand awareness and with the data, – big or small, – it’s collected by organizing and analyzing the information. At first glance, public relations and data might not go hand-in-hand together since PR is more focused on social skills than numbers.

But data is a key essential for successful campaigns and better-targeted media outreaches. The data are very ideal key essentials used for proving the effectiveness of PR campaigns, data analysis, behavioral insights, adjusting messaging, and the value of service.