Evaluation & Insights Veterans Launch Consultancy

(MENAFN- PRovoke) LONDON - Evaluation and insights industry veterans Richard Bagnall and Paul Hender have set up a new business, CommsClarity Consulting, to help PR agencies and in-house teams evaluate and demonstrate the value of communications.

CommsClarity Consulting will offer services including advising on integrated media analysis and data collection, creation of evaluation strategy and frameworks, management reporting and demonstrating communications ROI, and support with selecting vendors of evaluation tools.

Hender and Bagnall have worked together for 30 years, running measurement programmes for global brands and playing leading roles in the creation of best practice initiatives such as the AMEC integrated measurement framework.

Bagnall told PRovoke Media:“We're not another vendor selling tools and software to an unsuspecting market. Paul and I are experienced evaluation professionals who will work with PR agencies and in-house comms teams to offer impartial advice and guidance on making significant improvements to their evaluation and insights capabilities.”

He said in-house teams needed to ensure that they are reporting to internal stakeholders in the language of the C-suite, and agencies needed to move on from the 'counts and amounts' of meaningless content metrics, to demonstrate real organisational value.

“When agencies and teams are too scared to really understand how to demonstrate value, they are defaulting to showing activity not value. We'll also help agencies and in-house teams select the right tools and vendors and onboard them – obviously we know where the bodies are buried in terms of vendors' strengths and weaknesses. We'll also ensure they understand the pros and cons of the latest developments in AI and automation.”

Bagnall said the new offer was timely, as organisations are facing increasing pressure to justify communications spend and show tangible results:“The need for this service has never been greater. It's time for the industry to stop fearing evaluation, embrace it and use it to their advantage.

“We've talked about the 'measurement problem' for too long. It's actually a solved problem – it just needs experience to do it properly.”

Bagnall has held leadership roles at measurement and data analytics firms including Metrica, Gorkana, Prime Research, and Carma, which he left in May. For over a decade, he has advised the UK government's Strategy & Evaluation Council on best practices for communications evaluation and co-authored the government's Digital Communication Capabilities Review.

He served three terms as chairman of AMEC, the global professional association for media intelligence, and has been recognised for his contribution to the industry by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) President's Medal, PRovoke Media's SABRE Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement, and the AMEC Don Bartholomew Award.

Hender has been co-owner of Metrica, head of analysis operations at Gorkana, head of insight for Cision EMIA, and group chief operations officer for Carma, where he led a team of 400 analysts and media intelligence professionals worldwide. He was also a board member at AMEC.

“We understand the challenges that communications professionals face, from proving the value of their work to staying ahead of industry trends and changes such as artificial intelligence,” said Hender.“Our mission is to provide clarity and confidence through our services, empowering clients to not only meet but exceed their communications objectives and face the future with confidence.”

MENAFN04092024000219011063ID1108634108