Public Relations in Croatia, 19
from journalists seeking information about an event or issue as a measure of success. A few
respondents noted that they not only counted story placement, but that they also examined the
tone of the coverage as part of their evaluation strategy.
H3 tested if relational communication was the most prefered method of evaluating
public relations success. Relational ways of measuring effectiveness were identified 33 times
(22 citing journalists attending events and 11 noting that phone calls from media
representatives) and counting placements (a non-relational tacitc), was reported 26 times. Five
other answers appeared including examining public reaction and evaluating the tone of news
coverage. The support for H3 is mixed, there appears to relatively similar reliance on relational
and non-relational evaluation processes.
Discussion
Although Eastern Europe is comprised a variety of cultures, the nations in this region
share certain commonalities that influence personal relationships, relationships between
organizations, and relationships between organizations and publics. These commonalities are
not so much cultural, but rather are the outcome of 40 or more years of communist social,
economic, and political systems. Regardless of any person’s view on the contributions or
limitations of communism, the supremacy of the state and the absence of any organization
independent of state control has had implications for the development of social trust and
organization-public relationships. These implications influence the development of public
relations and are the foundation for this study.
Personal Relationships in Eastern European Public Relations
The data suggest that public relations in Croatia is a very relational practice.
Practitioners want to speak with media, spend time with media and influence media coverage
of their organizations. Public relations is valued by organizations and many recognize their
Convention