This month’s Measurement Menaces are the communications equivalent of a doctor who continues to offer a drug to its clients, even after studies show it doesn’t help and occasionally causes death.
That’s the case for both Meltwater and South African monitoring company Professional Evaluation and Research (PEAR). Both these companies continue to push their made-up statistics on clients, even after the leading measurement industry organizations have rejected them. Many clients have rejected them, too.
Just a couple weeks ago, Meltwater posted this updated explanation of how they calculate AVE. It makes no sense and is completely invalid since it assumes that all companies and all sites are the same. And then there’s this one from PEAR that offers no details but is clearly the ultimate “black box,” designed to lure customers into a world of false and misleading measurement.
Simply put, these companies are on the wrong side of communications history. Congrats to them for receiving our Measurement Menace of the Month Award. ∞
