PRSA CEO Michael Cherenson gives the best sound bite we've read in a while when it comes to PR measurement:

Our fundamental goal is to change how the industry talks about what public relations accomplishes...Instead of meaningless catch phrases, such as 'create buzz,' our recommended approach focuses on identifying meaningful expressions of business performance, suggesting more appropriate measurement metrics and recommending proven tools for demonstrating how those metrics were impacted.

Ambitious? Certainly. The quote is in support of the trade organization's new push to establish measurement standards for the PR industry. PRSA is seeking comments via their blog and will review all feedback at the end of this month, before assessing all of it to "make adjustments."