With the sun shining and the thermometer stuck on 25 degrees, the annual AMEC Global Summit on Measurement celebrated its 10 years in the city that gave its name to the Barcelona Principles. The Barcelona Principles, the set of seven principles that provide the first overarching framework for effective PR and communication measurement, have provided the industry with a basis professionals can rely on when looking into data measurement.

The three-day event started on a bright Tuesday afternoon, when companies around the world came together over drinks in a networking hub. The following morning, after receiving a warm welcome from Barry Leggetter, CEO of AMEC and summit director, the day was filled with interesting topics discussed from experts in the industry, providing an eye-opening experience.

The discussion was focused around the challenges of measuring data, the criticism companies get, the difficult task of measuring traditional media and the three i’s, insights, innovation and integration. All companies taking part were clear in their effort to always evolve and better themselves in regard to measurement. Jennifer Bruce, global leader of communications at Adobe, highlighted the importance of companies collaborating with data companies. “We need to collaborate with our data companies to conceive a cohesive picture,” Bruce said.

When asked about the criticism that companies endure from both their clients and competitors when trying to apply innovative ways of measuring, Alex Aiken, executive director for the government communications, said, “Criticism comes and goes, haters will always hate, you just have to get on with it.” In fact, according to Joe Cohen, chief communications officer at AXIS Capital, challenges and failures have proved to sometimes be useful. “Talking about our challenges and failures has helped us built credibility,” Cohen said. 

The topic of credibility was also of interest for Carmen Romero, general deputy secretary at the public diplomacy division of NATO. “If we lose credibility, we lose it all,” Romero stressed. For Romero and NATO, coordination is a very difficult task. Although NATO knows that it is stronger when united, the complexity of the organisation results in having several voices. “Having different voices is paying off,” Romero said, “We can be more productive if we integrate our communications.”

A highlight of the summit was the panel consisting of leading industry figures talking about why evaluation matters to every communications professional. A productive discussion took place, concluding with Aiken stating that “I don’t think we have an evaluation gap, but a leadership deficit.”

Of course, the Barcelona Principles and their update were a reoccurring point of reference, with their value and importance being highlighted repeatedly. Equally stressed was the unanimous agreement that people, both companies and clients, need to move away from use of Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE). AVE refers to the cost of buying the space taken up by a particular article, had the article been an advertisement. This method was deemed outdated and irrelevant, while many speakers suggested ways to redirect people that insist on using this method to new, better ones.

The second day of the summit was filled with educational and practical workshops. The speakers explored artificial intelligence (AI) challenges and opportunities across paid, owned and earned media, how its impact on how content and messages are developed, distributed and optimised, to how AMEC’s Integrated Evaluation Framework (IEF) has won agency and client endorsement, moving its client away from AVEs.

The workshops offered attendants the opportunity to get an insight on problem solving communications strategies and hear the opinions of big names that have revolutionised the industry, such as Jose Carlos Martinez Lozoya, communication intelligence manager of Iberdrola, who has managed to gather all the data needed for measurement in one place. “If you have to change things, you have to hire new people from outside the organisation, because internal change is much more difficult,” Lozoya offered when talking about measuring comms in an integrated way now that PR is no longer focussed only on media relations, but on paid, shared and owned media as well. 

The three-day summit ended with the AMEC Awards. There, an emotional tribute to Barry Leggetter took place, honouring him for his contribution to the industry and celebrating 12 years of working for AMEC, since it has been announced that he will step off his role.

The AMEC Summit 2018 was interesting and educational, providing professionals with a platform to discuss topics relevant to their field, making those three days in Barcelona a memorable experience. The AMEC Summit has proved that the industry is still prime for debate. Through changes, companies are trying to evolve, grow and keep up with the tools technology is giving them.  

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