Here’s Your Roadmap to Real Measurement Results
After a stellar campaign with the just-right messaging picked up across the right channels and engagement off the charts, are you still dreading the question: “Great, but what did it accomplish for our organization?”
If so, you aren’t alone. The PR industry has long been a wild scene with various meanings of success – from dubious and outdated advertising value equivalents (AVE) to vanity metrics that don’t drive or reflect business goals.
Here’s the important news: the globally trusted Barcelona Principles 2025 update were just released at the 2025 AMEC Global Summit on Measurement and provides the compass for how smart organizations measure their communications impact.
This isn’t just another measurement framework gathering dust. It’s the only overarching framework for how to measure and evaluate work in a meaningful, transparent and outcome-driven way, agreed upon by PR practitioners from 33 countries and the PR and communication associations. That consistent measurement is an important piece of the “PR is an investment with ROI” pie.
The Principles are the North Star for all PR and communications practitioners, evaluation vendors and consultants, researchers and students to guide the evolving practice of PR and communications. Reviewed and updated every five years, teams across the globe and industries refine what needs modernizing, build on what works, and ensure the Principles remain relevant. Using the Principles isn’t just best practice—it’s a competitive advantage in a world where data-driven decision-making separates industry leaders from the rest.
The 2025 changes are subtle, but important, as the Principles continue to evolve in meaningful ways. Common practices from 2020, even 2023, may now be outdated, as we have experienced shifts amid AI influence, rapid change, disruption and fragmented audiences. There’s a recognition that measurable impact often reverberates outside of the organization to stakeholders and society.
The Principles are better ordered and better aligned to match the steps of good plan, starting with objectives, stakeholders and audiences, and moving through to planning and analysis. Each Principle was refined for clarity and supported by practical “here’s what to do” guidance. New terminology, including a focus on audience, has been added. In this time of division and misinformation, those organizations that don’t understand their audience suffer reputation damage. Additionally, there’s a solid reference to including the internal audiences. An important new theme includes the importance of listening: ensuring two-way communication and not only communicating out, but listening in.
You’ll notice in the Principles graphic, your organization is at the heart, as that is what ultimately must be matched. To help you drive best practice into your organization, check out the AMEC informational e-book. It’s a useful piece that provides additional guidance on each principle.
