#WPRD2026 | The Golden Age of Strategic PR calls for a new interpretation of value
If the PR profession has indeed entered a new epoch, then the profession must pose a more rigorous inquiry: Are we still defining success through measurement tools that have become obsolete?
Return on Impact
Over my career, I have witnessed the industry move beyond Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE) after recognising that earned media could not be adequately represented by the cost of paid advertising.
More substantive metrics emerged, including engagement, sentiment, and increasingly, Return on Investment (ROI). Collectively, these have helped position communication as a strategic business function rather than a mere auxiliary service.
This progression has been significant. However, it has also exposed a disparity.
Most communication metrics indicate whether an event or activity occurred. Fewer metrics assess whether any meaningful change resulted from that occurrence.
Recently, I revisited Community Strategist Maruxa Murphy's concept of Return on Impact.
Murphy contends that organisations should continue to measure ROI but should also evaluate the broader influence their initiatives have on individuals and communities.
Although straightforward, this idea challenges the longstanding assumption that merely investing resources constitutes success.
Such an assumption is flawed. An organisation may fund a scholarship program, initiate a community project, or invest in skills development.
While such actions are noteworthy, they merely represent initial steps. The more pertinent question is whether these actions have altered the circumstances they intended to influence.
The same logic applies to public relations
Historically, the profession has become increasingly adept at quantifying outputs.
We can gauge media coverage, report on audience engagement, and confidently demonstrate campaign performance.
These metrics are valuable because they confirm that communication reached its intended audience.
Nonetheless, they do not indicate whether communication effected change, by asking:
Did it enhance trust?
Did it influence decision-making?
Did it foster a stronger relationship between an organisation and its stakeholders?
These questions underpin strategic public relations. Organisations do not communicate solely to achieve visibility; they do so to build confidence, shape understanding, and facilitate decisions that support long-term success.
Such contributions are not always immediate and seldom fit neatly into quarterly reports. Nevertheless, few leaders would dispute that trust impacts reputation, investment choices, and organisational resilience.
I believe South African brands demonstrate this understanding by operating within an environment where public expectations are continually shifting.
Customers demand authenticity, employees seek alignment between organisational actions and stated values, and communities increasingly judge brands by their tangible contributions rather than by the campaigns they launch.
An opportunity to redefine the discourse surrounding value
The Barcelona Principles challenged the industry to move beyond simplistic measures such as AVEs.
The next stage in evolution may involve moving beyond mere activity measurement.
Return on Impact presents a framework for this challenge: not as a substitute for ROI, but as a reminder that performance and impact are distinct concepts that demonstrate overall value.
The Golden Age of Strategic Public Relations will not be characterised by superior dashboards or more advanced reporting, but by the profession's capacity to demonstrate contributions that are meaningful to both organisations and society.
Achieving this requires acknowledging that visibility is rarely the goal but often the initial step.
It entails asking not only whether communication was effective but also whether it resulted in meaningful change.
If strategic public relations has secured its position within the executive suite, it also has the potential to influence organisational definitions of value.
This represents some of the most significant contributions the profession has made to date.
