25 years ago today...

Today marks 25 years since I took a new job that was to change my life forever. A day that I went from poacher to gamekeeper (surely it's that way around?!) and left what I thought was my career of choice - #publicrelations - and fell into #mediaintelligence and #PR #measurement sector.

I remember being terrified on that first day as I listened to my two new business partners, Mark and Paul, discussing some of the nuances of the emerging sector and the intricacies of content coding techniques in what was the early days of media evaluation. If I could have run away, I would have done. I was held back by the intense loss of pride and embarrassment that it would have entailed as I'd have had to run from the old altar stage of our converted Church office in West Street, past the account teams of our sister company Portfolio Communications, and out into the bright lights of Covent Garden's West Street and the waiting paparazzi that were always outside The Ivy Restaurant hoping to snap a celeb. I decided to try to stick it out. It was the best decision that I ever made.

Luck and 'events dear boy, events' (as Harold Macmillan is alleged to have said) were what had resulted in me being there in those early days of Metrica. I'd never wanted to 'work in media analysis', but here I was. To be honest, as I listened to my new colleagues, it felt like they were speaking another language for all that it made sense to me. No one had heard of the sector. I could never explain to my parents what I did, and I still don't think they understand it today. Trying to explain to people at parties what I did was equally as challenging which was frustrating for a 20 something bachelor about town! Back on that first day, I quickly realised that I had to sink or swim. Happily I resolved to throw myself in the deep end, work hard and learn the lingo of the industry.

Quickly it dawned on me that for communications evaluation to make sense to the PR industry, it was vital that what appeared complex was made easy to understand. As Mark used to say, 'simple, but not simplistic'. Luckily I was ok at this aspect of the job, deciphering the measurement techniques and lingo and presenting them in a meaningful and relevant manner. I was good enough at the communicating and selling side of things, but terrible then, and remain so to this day, at the data interrogation side of things. My dirty secret remains that, amongst many other things, I still don't know how to build a pivot table in Excel. Luckily for me though, I know a number of highly skilled people who do!

My career change into PR measurement was the best decision I ever made. 25 years ago of course I had no idea that this was to lead to a lifetime's work. A career that has been challenging, hard work, rewarding, educational and above all great fun. I've worked with some of the best people I could imagine over the years and met some of the most brilliant clients too.

There are way too many stories to tell here. Some very funny personal situations and hysterical moments with great friends. But also too many industry milestones and changes that I've witnessed in the industry's evolution. But change it has and it will continue to do so too, faster now than ever before. The interest in the sector today is chalk and cheese from what it was 25 years ago. If we won a client then, the chances are we would have been the first outsourced service provider that they had used and we may well be pitching in a non-competitive situation. 'Us' against nothing effectively, literally competing in a 'green field' space. Today, I can't remember the last time a pitch wasn't hard fought against an incumbent and a roster of competing agencies. I hope that when the world returns to some form of normality, we have a chance to share a drink or two and I'll recount some of the tales. Maybe at an AMEC summit (Vienna 2022 anyone?)

Tonight for me though, sitting here in a locked down Britain, is about reflecting on the quarter century gone. Counting my blessings. Being grateful, and thankful for my lucky breaks. For everything that I have learned and experienced from so many people. Some amazing experiences, and some not so good to be honest. But always moving forward and learning. I'm grateful for the opportunities that I have been entrusted with by colleagues, clients and business partners alike. It's been a career that has taken me all over the world, I've met so many wonderful people, visited some of the most incredible offices, advised some of the most amazing organisations and even got to seen at first hand the very seat of the highest power.

Thank you to all of my friends and colleagues from the Metrica days, the Gorkana days, the PRIME Research days and above all to my amazing colleagues at CARMA International. We're building something at CARMA that is truly special and every day excites me and fills me with pride for the work that the great team is doing.

Thank you as well to the AMEC community which I have been honoured to be entrusted with leading for the last 4 years, and to many friends at the PRCA, CIPR and the Government Communications Service (GCS) too.

What an amazing journey. What a great career to be working in. If you're considering a career in communications evaluation, PR measurement, data and insights, I can heartily recommend it.

Here's to my journey continuing for a few more years yet. It's the ride of a life.