AVE BOYCOTT NOT THE WAY FORWARD - AMEC disassociates itself with call to blacklist companies
London: 12th July, 2010: The International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC) has disassociated itself from a call to blacklist companies who offer Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE) measurement in their product offer.
AMEC, working with the Institute for Public Relations and in partnership with other global bodies, was the architect of the Barcelona Principles - a framework for a new approach to communications programme measurement.
The boycott call was made by a US media intelligence professional in a blog.
In a statement, Barry Leggetter, Executive Director of AMEC, said: “The Barcelona Principles has got professionals around the world talking about measurement in a constructive and positive way. We will continue to make change through consultation with our other partners not by a boycott route.
“We think it is unhelpful to call for a boycott of any firm who voted for the Barcelona Principles but offers a form of AVE's as part of their product suite. AMEC believes that a call for a boycott of named companies is disrespectful to clients, whilst also deflecting from the consensus we have reached through the Principles.”
Leggetter said AMEC was working intensively with its global PR and communications partners to put in place a major programme of client education around the Measurement Principles.
The five organisations backing the Barcelona Principles are: AMEC, IPR, the Global Alliance, PRSA and ICCO.
The ‘Barcelona Declaration of Research Principles' comprises these seven principles:
1. Goal setting and measurement are fundamental aspects of any PR programmes.
2. Media measurement requires quantity and quality – cuttings in themselves are not enough.
3. Advertising Value Equivalents (AVEs) do not measure the value of PR and do not inform future activity.
4. Social media can and should be measured.
5. Measuring outcomes is preferred to measuring media results.
6. Business results can and should be measured where possible.
7. Transparency and Replicability are paramount to sound measurement.
