Advertising, PR, marketing agencies, clients, industry bodies, online monitoring providers and media houses, amongst others, recently engaged in rigorous debates where participants' gloves came off and exponentially disparate perspectives were revealed.
Lines were drawn in accordance with each party's opinions, experiences, needs and objectives. It was revealed that no one was resistant to change, but the challenge presented (among others) was that of finding a reliable alternative that would not present the same problems in a few years' time.
Out of the richness of these debates and discussions arose two key standpoints.
The first argued that the use of AVE needs to stop with immediate effect; that there is no place for AVE now or in the future, especially in the online measurement arena. Participants discussed the need for a big call to all stakeholders to take responsibility for communication and education in the industry to achieve this end.
The second standpoint reasoned that a monetary measure of return was needed for justifying future marketing budgets and plans. Additionally, such a measure is required for making effectiveness (ROI) comprehensible to all, not just those knowledgeable about the ins and outs of marketing campaigns. The form that this measure would take raised heated and contentious debate.
Despite the multitude of views expressed, and questions raised, the one thing that participants could agree on was, as Oresti Patricios (CEO, Ornico) puts it, that "defining clear measurement goals for any communication, including social media, is key."
Having raised the questions of "Can we abandon AVE; is there place for a new industry-wide metric; what will the implications be and will this revolutionise the industry, interested parties are asked to input their thoughts and opinions to shape a responsible and credible future for this industry.
Click here www.surveymonkey.com/s/Y38GN6K to complete this online AVE survey.
