The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) launched its re-designed website earlier this week, and in conjunction with the re-design also announced today a new advocacy campaign for the PR industry, “The Business Case for Public Relations.” PRNewser caught up with PRSA Chair and CEO Michael Cherenson via phone today. He said the campaign is about “recognizing that people are facing a challenging economy and helping PR pros fight the fight, get budget they need, get staff they need and prove their worth.”

He also agrees with many in the industry that PR “should be getting more of the pie” when it comes to new opportunities in digital and social media. The industry has to change the way they think about measurement, he said, because “simple metrics of a clip don’t cut it anymore. We have to look at how we’re changing behavior.”

The campaign will include research, practical tools, influencer and media outreach and targeted career development opportunities, according to the PRSA. Some of these services will only be available for free to PRSA members.

Meanwhile, Jack O’Dwyer reports (sub. required), “Registration fees, mostly for PR Society’s conference in San Diego Nov. 7-10, were 60% lower than fees for the same nine months in 2008 – $1.1M vs. $2.7M. PRS had a loss from operations of $708,024 vs. a profit of $727,265 in 2008.”