London,
18
May
2017
|
12:27
Europe/London

CIPR welcomes AMEC initiative and pledges AVE ban

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) has today welcomed the Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication's (AMEC) commitment to eradicate the use of Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE) and announced plans for a ban on the use of AVEs by CIPR members.

The CIPR will publish a new professional standard on public relations measurement in the autumn which will identify the use of AVEs in public relations as unprofessional and set out an expectation of members that their use will cease.

The new guidelines will warn the public about the use of misleading metrics and highlight the role of the CIPR Code of Conduct in raising standards of practice. Members currently using AVEs will have a period of one year to complete a transition to valid metrics, which the CIPR will support with resources. Members found to be using AVEs thereafter may be liable to disciplinary action.

This initiative aims to create a different conversation between professionals about the measurement of public relations activity, in response to the frequent complaint that AVEs are often requested by members of the management or accounting professions, among others. The new guidance will be presented to CIPR Council in September.

Jason MacKenzie FCIPR Found.Chart.PR, CIPR President
It's time to make a clear and unequivocal statement that AVEs are unprofessional and this is something we intend to communicate to all other Chartered bodies. We believe that other professions represented around the boardroom table will welcome the guidance and grasp that public relations has a more profound impact on business objectives than an artificial measure placed on the value of coverage.
 
This goes beyond banning AVEs from awards. Our members know that AVEs are a fantasy metric so it's time to put an end to their use for good. We welcome AMEC’s commitment to their eradication and look forward to banning their use in public relations.
Jason MacKenzie FCIPR Found.Chart.PR, CIPR President
Kevin Taylor FCIPR, Chair of the Professional Practices Committee
AVEs as a measure were nothing but fanciful even before the rise of online publishing. Anyone attempting to use them today is fooling themselves, fooling their clients, and failing the profession. AVEs have no place in modern, professional, PR practice.
Kevin Taylor FCIPR, Chair of the Professional Practices Committee
 
Notes to editors

Notes to editors

About the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR)Founded in 1948, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) is the Royal Chartered professional body for public relations practitioners in the UK and overseas. The CIPR is the largest membership organisation for PR practitioners outside of North America. By size of turnover and number of individually registered members, we are the leading representative body for the PR profession and industry in Europe.

The CIPR advances professionalism in public relations by making its members accountable to their employers and the public through a code of conduct and searchable public register, setting standards through training, qualifications, awards and the production of best practice and skills guidance, facilitating Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and awarding Chartered Public Relations Practitioner status (Chart.PR).