By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A budding media and public relations measurement and evaluation agency with an experienced PR practitioner, Mr Austin Ayaosi, as its Lead Analyst, BrandImpact Consulting, has won the Young Public Relations Measurement Agency of the Year award at the fifth The Industry Summit and Awards held in Lagos recently.
Mr Ayaosi said the recognition marked a significant milestone for the organisation, noting that, “It is a reminder that in whatever we do, we should put in the best because you never know who is watching.”
“The recognition serves as a motivation for us to sustain our efforts in the quest to redefine how PR is perceived by the management of an organisation.
“As an agency, we are grateful to all our clients; both the ones we have worked with in the past and the ones we presently work with for the opportunity to prove that PR can be measured,” he added.
It was gathered that BrandImpact Consulting clinched the award in recognition of its contributions to bridging the PR measurement gaps in Nigeria.
Mr Ayaosi believes that measurement and evaluation remain the best route to earning the respect public relations and communications managers deserve, reiterating the need for PR and communications managers to incorporate measurement and evaluation into their strategy by adopting a measurement and evaluation framework that aligns with the overall corporate goals of the organisation.
“Through measurement and evaluation, Public Relations and Communications managers can show the value and impact of their work on the organisation in clear and convincing ways.
“If you take a deeper look at the public relations professionals globally, you will realise that the major difference between PR professionals who have a seat in the boardroom and those who are yet to secure a seat in the boardroom is that, those who have risen to the position of directors attained that level of recognition and respect by finding ways to measure and report on what truly matters to the organisation.
“It is important for PR professionals to find ways to either measure what matters to the board or make what they measure matter to the board. The days of the perception that PR is difficult to measure are long gone,” he stated.