Outcomes Over Optics: Breaking Free from AVE and Vanity Metrics
AVE and vanity metrics still haunt PR dashboards, despite years of critique. In this post, I reflect on the FIR Interview with Richard Bagnall and why a generational shift may be needed to change the narrative - starting with 22 reasons to say no to AVE.
Public relations stands at a crossroads when it comes to professional standards, and few issues illustrate this more clearly than our industry’s ongoing reliance on advertising value equivalency (AVE).
I wrote those words in November 2024, arguing that AVE is not just outdated, it's fundamentally at odds with how modern PR should demonstrate value. It offers the illusion of precision but fails to measure anything of strategic worth.
As I noted then, “AVE represents an outdated and flawed approach to measuring our work… a metric some describe as ‘the PR equivalent of using smoke signals in an era of instant messaging.’”
And yet, AVE persists – not just as a hangover from a previous era, but as part of a broader problem: our profession’s comfort with vanity metrics that look impressive but tell us little.
That’s why the FIR Interview that Shel and I did with Richard Bagnall, published yesterday, felt so timely.
Richard is past-Chair and a current board director of AMEC, the International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communications. He is one of the architects of the newly released Barcelona Principles 4.0, the global gold standard for best practices in communication measurement and evaluation.
The refreshed principles in version 4 address some of the biggest challenges communicators face today in measurement and evaluation. AVE is a significant one, as became evident in our podcast conversation.
Richard brings both insight and urgency to this conversation. His view: It may take a generational shift to finally abandon AVE and its many variants.
Here's why.
The Persistence of AVE and Vanity Metrics
Despite a growing consensus among professionals that AVE is flawed, it continues to appear in boardroom slides and agency reports. Why? Because AVE reports are simple. They provide an easily digestible, if fundamentally misleading, number that seems to offer monetary value for PR efforts. And because some clients still ask for them.
But AVE isn't the only issue. We’re still surrounded by vanity metrics – raw impressions, engagement rates, “reach” without relevance – numbers that can make us feel good but tell us very little about the real impact of our work.
What the Barcelona Principles 4.0 Say
The newly updated Barcelona Principles 4.0 address this issue directly. Principle 5 is unequivocal:
“Invalid measures such as advertising value equivalents (AVEs) should not be used. Instead, measure and evaluate the contribution of communication by its outcome and impact.”
Crucially, this new version 4.0 goes further than before. It doesn’t just reject AVE – it offers positive direction by encouraging strategic, ethical, and outcome-focused evaluation.
Among the broader guidance:
- Combine qualitative and quantitative analysis
- Link communication activity to organisational goals
- Measure across all relevant channels, not just media
- Prioritise impact over visibility
For professionals seeking to take the next step, AMEC offers practical tools, including the Integrated Evaluation Framework and the Measurement Maturity Mapper.
22 Reasons to Say No to AVE
If you need a reference point – for your team, your clients, or your own thinking – AMEC’s “22 Reasons to Say No to AVEs” is as relevant as ever.
Download a copy here:
Compiled by Richard Bagnall, the list makes the case in plain terms. AVE:
- Confuses cost with value
- Ignores context, sentiment, or audience quality
- Rewards volume over strategy
- Provides a false sense of ROI
- Can lead to unethical practices in reporting
The bottom line? AVE measures nothing that matters.
A Call to Action
If we want communication to be taken seriously as a strategic discipline, we must stop relying on metrics that flatter rather than inform.
📣 So here’s my ask:
- Read the "22 Reasons to Say No to AVE" (download link above)
- Share them with your team, your clients, your peers.
- Start conversations. Push for better standards.
- And if you haven’t already, listen to the FIR Interview with Richard Bagnall – it’s an essential reminder that the future of our profession depends on getting this right.
Listen to our conversation right here. You can also listen on the show notes page.
A video version of this FIR Interview is coming soon; I'll update this post when it's available.
What do you think – is AVE still haunting your reports?
