RIP Ad Value Equivalency
Our Privacy Policy has been updated! The Conference Board uses cookies to improve our website, enhance your experience, and deliver relevant messages and offers about our products. Detailed information on the use of cookies on this site is provided in our cookie policy. For more information on how The Conference Board collects and uses personal data, please visit our privacy policy. By continuing to use this Site or by clicking "ACCEPT", you acknowledge our privacy policy and consent to the use of cookies. 
Our Privacy Policy has been updated! Detailed information on the use of cookies on this site is provided in our cookie policy and our privacy policy. 
TCB Tourch
Loading...
  •  
    • NORTH AMERICA
    • EUROPE
    • ASIA

  • 2

    Close
    • Insights
        • Insights
        • Explore by Center
          • Explore by Center

          • CED
            Committee for Economic Development

          • Economy, Strategy & Finance

          • Governance & Sustainability

          • Human Capital

          • Marketing & Communications
        • Explore by Content Type
          • Explore by Content Type

          • Reports

          • Upcoming Webcasts

          • On Demand Webcasts

          • Podcasts

          • Charts & Infographics

          • Explore All Research

          • Economic Indicators
        • Trending Topics
          • Trending Topics

          • Artificial Intelligence (AI)

          • Navigating Washington

          • Geopolitics

          • US Economic Forecast

          • Sustainability

          • Future of Work

          • Explore All Trending Topics

    • Events
        • Events
        • Upcoming Events
          • Upcoming Events

          • 2026 Corporate Communications & Brand Summit

          • 26th Annual Employee Health Care Conference - New York

          • 26th Annual Employee Health Care Conference – San Diego

          • Corporate Citizenship Awards Dinner

          • 2026 Corporate Citizenship Summit

          • 2026 M&A Summit - New York

          • Explore all Upcoming Events

          • Sponsor a Program

        • Member-Exclusive Programs
          • Member-Exclusive Programs

          • Center Briefings

          • Expert Briefings

          • Experts Live

          • Roundtables

          • Working Groups

          • View all Upcoming Events, Programs, and Webcasts

    • Data
        • Data

        • All Data

        • Consumer Confidence Index®

        • Data Central

        • TCB Benchmarking

        • Recession & Growth Trackers

        • Global Economic Outlook

        • Leading Economic Indicators

        • Help Wanted OnLine

        • Labor Markets

        • Measure of CEO Confidence

        • CMO+CCO Meter Dashboard

    • Centers
        • Centers
        • Our Centers
          • Our Centers

          • Committee for Economic Development

          • Economy, Strategy & Finance

          • Governance & Sustainability

          • Human Capital

          • Marketing & Communications
    • Councils
        • Councils
        • Find a Council
          • Find a Council

          • Economy, Strategy & Finance

          • Governance & Sustainability

          • Human Capital

          • Marketing & Communications
        • Council Membership
          • Council Membership

          • What is a Council?

          • Benefits of Council Membership

          • Apply to a Council

    • Membership
        • Membership
        • Why Become a Member?
          • Why Become a Member?

          • Benefits of Membership

          • Check if Your Organization is a Member

          • Speak to a Membership Associate
        • Types of Membership
          • Types of Membership

          • C-Suite

          • Leadership

          • Council

          • Higher Education

          • Insights

        • Already a Member?
          • Already a Member?

          • Sign In to myTCB®

          • Executive Communities

          • Member-Exclusive Programs

          • Refer a Leader - Earn a Reward

    • About Us
        • About Us
        • Who We Are
          • Who We Are

          • About Us

          • In the News

          • Press Releases

          • Our History

          • Support Our Work

          • Locations

          • Contact Us

        • Our Community
          • Our Community

          • Our Leadership

          • Our Experts

          • Trustees

          • Voting Members

          • Global Counsellors

          • Careers

          • This Week @ TCB

    • Careers
    • This Week @ TCB
    • Sign In to myTCB®
      • NORTH AMERICA
      • EUROPE
      • ASIA
    • Insights
      • Insights
      • Explore by Center
        • Explore by Center

        • CED
          Committee for Economic Development

        • Economy, Strategy & Finance

        • Governance & Sustainability

        • Human Capital

        • Marketing & Communications

      • Explore by Content Type
        • Explore by Content Type

        • Reports

        • Upcoming Webcasts

        • On Demand Webcasts

        • Podcasts

        • Charts & Infographics

        • Explore All Research

        • Economic Indicators
      • Trending Topics
        • Trending Topics

        • Artificial Intelligence (AI)

        • Navigating Washington

        • Geopolitics

        • US Economic Forecast

        • Sustainability

        • Future of Work

        • Explore All Trending Topics

    • Events
      • Events
      • Upcoming Events
        • Upcoming Events

        • 2026 Corporate Communications & Brand Summit

        • 26th Annual Employee Health Care Conference - New York

        • 26th Annual Employee Health Care Conference – San Diego

        • Corporate Citizenship Awards Dinner

        • 2026 Corporate Citizenship Summit

        • 2026 M&A Summit - New York

        • Explore all Upcoming Events

        • Sponsor a Program

      • Member-Exclusive Programs
        • Member-Exclusive Programs

        • Center Briefings

        • Expert Briefings

        • Experts Live

        • Roundtables

        • Working Groups

        • View all Upcoming Events, Programs, and Webcasts

    • Data
      • Data

      • All Data

      • Consumer Confidence Index®

      • Data Central

      • TCB Benchmarking

      • Recession & Growth Trackers

      • Global Economic Outlook

      • Leading Economic Indicators

      • Help Wanted OnLine

      • Labor Markets

      • Measure of CEO Confidence

      • CMO+CCO Meter Dashboard
    • Centers
      • Centers
      • Our Centers
        • Our Centers

        • Committee for Economic Development

        • Economy, Strategy & Finance

        • Governance & Sustainability

        • Human Capital

        • Marketing & Communications

    • Councils
      • Councils
      • Find a Council
        • Find a Council

        • Economy, Strategy & Finance

        • Governance & Sustainability

        • Human Capital

        • Marketing & Communications
      • Council Membership
        • Council Membership

        • Benefits of Council Membership

        • Apply to a Council

    • Membership
      • Membership
      • Why Become a Member?
        • Why Become a Member?

        • Benefits of Membership

        • Check if Your Organization is a Member

        • Speak to a Membership Associate

      • Types of Membership
        • Types of Membership

        • C-Suite

        • Leadership

        • Council

        • Higher Education

        • Insights

      • Already a Member?
        • Already a Member?

        • Sign In to myTCB®

        • Executive Communities

        • Member-Exclusive Programs

        • Refer a Leader - Earn a Reward

    • About Us
      • About Us
      • Who We Are
        • Who We Are

        • About Us

        • In the News

        • Press Releases

        • This Week @ TCB

        • Our History

        • Support Our Work

        • Locations

        • Contact Us

      • Our Community
        • Our Community

        • Our Leadership

        • Our Experts

        • Trustees

        • Voting Members

        • Global Counsellors

        • Careers

        • This Week @ TCB

    • Careers
    • Sign In to myTCB®
    • Download TCB Insights App
  • Insights
    Insights

    Our research and analysis have helped the world's leading companies navigate challenges and seize opportunities for over 100 years.

    Economic Indicators

    • Explore by Center
    • CED
      Committee for Economic Development
    • Economy, Strategy & Finance
    • Governance & Sustainability
    • Human Capital
    • Marketing & Communications
    • Explore by Content Type
    • Reports
    • Upcoming Webcasts
    • On Demand Webcasts
    • Podcasts
    • Charts & Infographics
    • Trending Topics
    • Artificial Intelligence (AI)
    • Navigating Washington
    • Geopolitics
    • US Economic Forecast
    • Sustainability
    • Future of Work
    • Explore All Trending Topics
  • Events
    Events

    Our in-person and virtual events offer unmatched opportunities for professional development, featuring top experts and practitioners.

    View all Upcoming Events, Programs, and Webcasts

    Sponsor a Program

    • Upcoming Events

      • 2026 Corporate Communications & Brand Summit

      March 05 - 06, 2026

      26th Annual Employee Health Care Conference - New York

      March 17 - 18, 2026

      26th Annual Employee Health Care Conference – San Diego

      April 16 - 17, 2026

    •  

      • Corporate Citizenship Awards Dinner

      April 22, 2026

      2026 Corporate Citizenship Summit

      April 23 - 24, 2026

      2026 M&A Summit - New York

      May 06, 2026

    • Member-Exclusive Programs
    • Center Briefings
    • Expert Briefings
    • Experts Live
    • Roundtables
    • Working Groups
    • Explore by Type
    • Events
    • Webcasts
    • Podcasts
    • Member-Exclusive Programs
    • Center Briefings
    • Expert Briefings
    • Experts Live
    • Roundtables
    • Working Groups
  • Data
    Corporate Disclosure Data

    TCB Benchmarking

    Real-time data visualizations to benchmark your governance, compensation, environmental, human capital management (HCM) and social practices against US public companies.

    Economic Data

    All Data

    Consumer Confidence Index®

    Data Central

    One-stop, member-exclusive portal for the entire suite of indicators

    Labor Markets

    Measure of CEO Confidence

     

    Recession & Growth Trackers

    Current & future state of 16 economies

    Global Economic Outlook

    Growth outlooks for 77 economies

    Leading Economic Indicators

    State of the business cycle for 12 global economies across Asia and Europe

    Help Wanted OnLine

    Status of the US job market

    Other Featured Data

    CMO+CCO Meter Dashboard

  • Centers
    Centers

    Centers offer access to world-class experts, research, events, and senior executive communities.

    Our Centers
    • Committee for Economic Development
    • Economy, Strategy & Finance
    • Governance & Sustainability
    • Human Capital
    • Marketing & Communications
  • Councils
    Councils

    Councils are invitation-only, peer-led communities of senior executives that come together to exchange knowledge, accelerate career development, and advance their function.

    Find a Council
    • Economy, Strategy & Finance
    • Governance & Sustainability
    • Human Capital
    • Marketing & Communications
    Council Membership
    • Benefits of Council Membership
    • Apply to a Council
  • Membership
    Membership

    Membership in The Conference Board arms top executives and their teams with an arsenal of knowledge, networks, and expertise that's unmatched in scope and depth.

    • Why Become a Member?
    • Benefits of Membership
    • Check if Your Organization is a Member
    • Speak to a Membership Associate
    • Types of Membership
    • C-Suite
    • Leadership
    • Council
    • Higher Education
    • Insights
    • Already a Member?
    • Sign in to myTCB®
    • Executive Communities
    • Member-Exclusive Programs
    • Refer a Leader - Earn a Reward
  • About Us
    About Us

    The Conference Board is the global, nonprofit think tank and business membership organization that delivers Trusted Insights for What's Ahead®. For over 100 years, our cutting-edge research, data, events and executive networks have helped the world's leading companies understand the present and shape the future.

    • Who We Are
    • About Us
    • In the News
    • Press Releases
    • Our History
    • Support Our Work
    • Locations
    • Contact Us
    • Our Community
    • Our Leadership
    • Our Experts
    • Trustees
    • Voting Members
    • Careers
    • This Week @ TCB
Check if You're a Member
Create Account
Forgot Your Password?

Members of The Conference Board get exclusive access to the full range of products and services that deliver Trusted Insights for What's Ahead ® including webcasts, publications, data and analysis, plus discounts to conferences and events.

Marketing & Communications Briefs

RIP Ad Value Equivalency

14 June 2019 / Brief

Download Brief
  • Email
  • Linkedin
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Copy Link

A friend asked me for my “Elevator Speech” as to why AVEs (Ad Value Equivalency), aka EMV (Earned Media Value), have been discredited and should never ever be used as a measure of anything, particularly not value. I thought it might be worth sharing the list:
  1. AVEs are based on the notion that the goals for advertising and the goals for PR are the same—getting  more “eyeballs”—most PR programs have different goals and therefore require different metrics. But eyeballs (aka impressions) are like sperm—there are a gazillion of them, but very few of them do what they are intended to do. 
  2. You become what you measure—so if they use AVEs as a measure, they will encourage PR to produce more column inches. Is that really the goal of your program? You could earn huge AVE numbers for being mentioned in passing in a story that runs on The View—but how influential is that with your target audience?
  3. AVEs were invented out of no science whatsoever in an era where there was a limited news hole—in the era of the internet, space isn’t the issue.
  4. There are no accurate equivalents between the actual value of a news story on your target audience and the space it takes up.
  5. AVEs are based on standard rate card advertising rates, which no one pays, and don’t exist for many blogs and social media sites.
  6. Take a story in a local paper that your service claims has an AVE of around $5,000, then ask them to write you a check for that amount if that’s the value they’d put on it. Try the same thing with a story that is negative or neutral. How much would they pay for that one?
  7. All ads contain messages and visuals that you presumably know will influence your target audience. Earned media includes negative and neutral stories that your target audience may or may not be persuaded by. And there is so such thing as a negative AVE—so you are earning AVEs for stories you may not want.
  8. AVEs have been rejected by every industry association and most will reject entries for awards that include them.

Great News!

You already have an account with The Conference Board.

Please try to login in with your email or click here if you have forgotten your password.

Create An Account



 

By Clicking 'Create Account', You Agree To Our Terms Of Use

Create Account
  • Download
  • Download Brief

Author

Katie Paine

Katie Paine

Founder and CEO

Read BioKatie Paine

More From This Series

Brief

Super Bowl LX: Culture from the nineties but not the creativity

February 14, 2026

Brief

In-House vs. Outsourcing: AI-Driven Shifts in Marketing & Comms

February 11, 2026

Brief

Thoughtful Marketers Acknowledge That the Holidays Aren’t All Cheer

October 28, 2025

Brief

For CMOs, the Market Stays Open During the Shutdown

October 06, 2025

Brief

How Should Companies Approach Reputation Building in the AI Era?

August 15, 2025

Newsletters & Alerts

Short Cuts: Confidence Down. Tariffs Up. The Stakes? Rising.

June 28, 2025

View Less View More

Conference Board Sample Web Chat
chatbot-Icon
TCB Logo
chatbot-Icon
C-Suite Insights - Stay updated on the biggest issues facing business executives.
ABOUT US
  • Who We Are
  • Our History
  • Our Experts
  • Our Leadership
  • In the News
  • Press Releases
EXPLORE
  • Membership
  • Centers
  • Councils
  • TCB Benchmarking
  • Ask TCB
  • Events
  • Webcasts
  • Podcasts
  • This Week @ TCB
 
  • Events
  • Webcasts
  • Podcasts
  • This Week @ TCB
CONTACT US
  • North America
    +1 212 759 0900
    customer.service@tcb.org
  • Europe/Africa/Middle East
    +32 2 675 5405
    brussels@tcb.org
  • Asia
    Hong Kong | +852 2804 1000
    Singapore | +65 8298 3403
    service.ap@tcb.org
CAREERS
  • See Open Positions
Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Event Code of Conduct | Trademarks
© 2026 The Conference Board Inc. All rights reserved. The Conference Board and torch logo are registered trademarks of The Conference Board.
The use of all The Conference Board data and materials is subject to the Terms of Use. Reprint requests are reviewed individually and may be subject to additional fees.The Conference Board reserves the right to deny any request.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Event Code of Conduct | Trademarks
© 2026 The Conference Board Inc. All rights reserved. The Conference Board and torch logo are registered trademarks of The Conference Board.
The use of all data from The Conference Board data and materials is subject to the Terms of Use. Reprint requests are reviewed individually and may be subject to additional fees.The Conference Board reserves the right to deny any request.

Thank you for signing up. You will now receive CEO Insights for What's Ahead every Wednesday morning. You can unsubscribe at any time or manage your preferences to receive more content from The Conference Board.

Important: Your Membership subscription payment is past due. We have not yet received your Membership payment. Please click the button below to pay your invoice.

Pay Invoice

Announcing The Conference Board AI Virtual Conference Series

Explore the Impact of AI on Your Business

Members receive complimentary registration - Learn more >>