European Communication Monitor

(page latest updating: July 2010)

While communication management and public relations in Europe is growing both in quantity and quality, empirical data on the professional field is still rare. There are a number of studies in national markets, but trans-European research has been limited by paradigmatic barriers (different research cultures) and pragmatic limitations (lack of databases with would allow an investigation across many countries). The European Communication Monitor closes this gap. It is an empirical survey which tries to identify current challenges and future trends in strategic communication throughout Europe.

ECM, run annually since 2007, is

• the leading and most comprehensive analysis of the European market with more than 1,800 participating professionals (decision makers in PR, average age 40 years, from 30+ European countries);
• conducted by a group of professors from renowned universities in 11 countries within the framework of EUPRERA;
• in partnership with EACD (European Association of Communication Directors), a transnational body of leading communication professionals in companies and organisations, www.eacd-online.eu;
• in partnership with Communication Director Magazine, the only transnational magazine dealing with the practice of strategic corporate communication in Europe, in English, distributed to opinion leaders and executives in communication departments throughout Europe, www.communication-director.eu;
• sponsored by international media intelligence provider Cision and Grayling, the second largest private-own PR network worldwide.

Overall timeline

Start: January 2007, open end

Results until now

The ECM 2010 has been conducted in spring 2010. It attracted 1,955 participants from 46 Europan countries. Results have been presented at numerous events and will be presented also at the EUPRERA annual congress in Jyvaskyla (September 2010). Results are available in a book as well as in the chart version on www.communicationmonitor.eu.

Several academic publications and papers have been written by members of the research team and advisory board in English, Spanish, Polish etc., i.e. in the “Journal of Public Relations Research”. A second sponsor (Grayling) has joined the project from 2010 onwards.

Milestones for the next six months

A number of presentations at research conferences are scheduled.

Project leader

• Prof. Dr. Ansgar Zerfass, University of Leipzig (GE) (zerfass@uni-leipzig.de)

Research team

• Prof. Dr. Ansgar Zerfass, University of Leipzig (GE)
• Ralph Tench, Prof. Ph. D., Leeds Metropolitan University (UK)
• Piet Verhoeven, Ass. Prof. Dr., University of Amsterdam (NL)
• Dejan Vercic, Prof. Ph. D., University of Ljubljana (SI)
• Angeles Moreno, Prof. Ph. D., University Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid (ES)

Advisory board

• Emanuele Invernizzi, Prof. Dr., IULM University, Milano (IT)
• Valerie Carayol, Prof. Dr., University of Bordeaux 3 (FR)
• Francesco Lurati, Ass. Prof. Dr., University of Lugano (CH)
• Sven Hamrefors, Prof. Dr., Mälardalen University (SE)
• Oyvind Ihlen, Ass. Prof. Dr., University of Oslo (NO)
• Ryszard Lawniczak, Prof. Dr., Poznan University of Economics (PL)

Can Euprera members still join the project? Who should join the project?

Both the research team and the advisory group are working well. In order to keep the project manageable level, the group shall not be expanded at the moment.

Euprera members from countries not represented in the project team until now are kindly asked to support the project by helping to spread the word about the survey in their country/region (each year, in spring). Moreover, they may contact the project leader or Piet Verhoeven and inquiry about possibilities to use the data for country-specific interpretations, including joint reports/papers in national languages with the research team.

Resource planning

The ECM project is fully financed by financial sponsorship given be the partners and supporters mentioned above. Operational support is given by the project leader at the University of Leipzig.