New AMEC business insight study shows education a priority

The New World Media Insights study shows a strong call from AMEC’s members for AMEC to continue its international education role to underpin industry expansion.
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In the World Media Intelligence and Insights study published today, 75% of respondents expect AMEC to play a key role in supporting industry expansion by continuing to educate the market in general about measurement,
There was also strong support (49%) for AMEC to establish a new integrated industry framework. The new framework will be announced at the AMEC International Summit in London on Thursday (16th June).
Jeremy Thompson, Chairman, AMEC and Managing Director, Cision EMEA, said: “The call for more industry education and the launch of our new framework are part of our single focus to do more to educate the market.”
A key survey finding that because of the new framework, 65% of members think it is likely this year will see measurement becoming a fundamental part of every PR programme.
Already PR consultancy members are reporting that the measurement element of their client offer is more important than ever, (82%), compared to 53% in 2015.
The AMEC survey shows evidence of healthy industry growth, with 71% of AMEC members saying the industry has expanded in the past year.
Most AMEC members (81%) expect growth to continue in the next 12 months, including 12% who forecast double-digit expansion. To fuel growth, 76% of members said they had increased investment in product and service innovation.
In another key finding, the survey reveals the extent to which the industry is moving from local to global market focus.
The proportion of members who provide services to clients in more than one global region up from 39% in 2015 to 51% with 61% reporting that the number of countries where they have clients has increased in the past two years. Interestingly, 75% of members report an increasing trend to partner together to offer a stronger global footprint solution to client briefs.
The AMEC World Media Intelligence and Insights study is the most comprehensive worldwide overview of firms working in the media intelligence sector. Based on survey responses from CEO-level participants, the study achieved an 80% response rate in 2016.
Other key findings from the study include:

  • Client demand for social media measurement continues to grow, with 80% reporting an increase in the past year. However, print media measurement has now started to decline, with 17% reporting lower demand in the past 12 months,
  • The proportion of end clients insisting on an AVE score has halved from 27% in 2015 to 14% in 2016, with 81% of members saying that AMEC must now make it clear that the industry has moved on from the debate about AVEs.
  • Most members (79%) report an increase in the number of new clients and 60% are seeing a growth in the number of RFPs.