In a world that is increasingly led by data-driven communications, how do you prove the true value of a story, a message, or a media hit?

In the first episode of Earning Your Seat — a Meltwater podcast, Johna Burke pulls back the curtain on an often-overlooked area of communications: measurement. As the CEO of AMEC (the Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication), Johna is at the forefront of redefining how we assess the impact of public relations, media coverage, and messaging.

Johna challenges us to rethink traditional metrics, like Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE), which have long been used to equate media value with advertising spend. Johna pulls no punches, explaining why AVE is a flawed metric that fails to capture the true essence of PR efforts.

What’s most refreshing about Johna is her humanity. While she’s an expert in metrics, she never loses sight of the fact that communications is about relationships, building trust, and creating value for audiences. 

You’ll hear Johna’s unique take on the intersection of communications and measurement, why she believes that "data leads" are more than just a trend, and how breaking down barriers in communications isn’t just about proving value, it’s about making real impact.

Earning Your Seat is a Meltwater podcast.

Episode Highlights:

(00:00) Welcome to Earning Your Seat

(02:30) Rethinking Communications Metrics

(06:10) The Trouble with AVE

(12:00) The Power of Data-Driven Insights

(16:40) "So What?" and "Now What?"

(21:15) The Art and Science of Measuring Impact

(25:30) Trust and Bias in Data

(31:50) How to Build Credibility Through Measurement

(37:00) The Pitfalls of Over-Solutioning
(41:30) Moving Beyond Outdated Metrics

(45:00) Closing Thoughts: Calibrating and Iterating Measurement

Connect with Johna:

• Johna Burke on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gojohnab/
• Explore AMEC: https://amecorg.com/

Follow Earning Your Seat:

• Dino Delic, Head of the Data-Driven Comms Research Lab on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinodelic/
• Genevieve Brammall on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genevieve-brammall/?skipRedirect=true
• Stephanie Leradall on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniesheppard/
• Subscribe to the Earning Your Seat Newsletter: https://www.meltwater.com/
• Join the Data-Driven Comms Community: https://community.meltwater.com/p/ddc