Consulting Firms rough start to Q1.
In France, Consulting firms’ Media Exposure statistics during the first quarter usually set the pace for the rest of the year.
The TOP30 Media Exposure Index for Consulting firms in France faced a substantial decline of -27.14% during the first quarter* of 2019 compared to the same period a year ago. Consequently to the last year’s PR effervescence and a News market under pressure, the Index’s overall volume endured a predictable aftermath effect, pulling out more than 10,000 articles from the French media landscape in less than a year.
The total of print articles, online news, broadcast clips, and social media mentions collected by Kantar Media Reputation Intelligence across 22,000 news sources in France, amounted to 26,853 articles in the first couple of months of 2019, versus 36,857 units measured in 2018 for the following 30 companies.
This contraction was predictable as last year’s Businesses Agenda turned PR effervescence. But the record in early 2019 is somewhat disappointing: hottest tech trends and eye-popping innovations unveiled at CES convention (AI-driven virtual assistants, 5G networks, mobility), “FrenchTech” larger presence, Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress or even Globalization 4.0 outlooks at World Economic Forum, are not yet about to cool off!
Pretty much the entire list followed negative developments during the beginning of the year. That includes 90% of the TOP10 and 24 companies out of 30 making a red move. This shift impacts the average units per company calculated by Kantar Media Reputation Intelligence at 895 units in 2019, versus 1,228 units a year before.
A majority (>50%) of consulting firms in France did not surpass this average score, including some showing some fatigue since the second half of 2016, losing all their gained or caught-up influence on the News market.
Although the index faced a mixed quarter overall, a look back reveals a recurrent concentration trend, emblematic of this industry’s PR practice. That said, the top 5 companies weight for almost 50% of the overall media exposure; splitting the influence between the leader board, ruling the game, and the laggards, fade away.
Another observation is manifest: beyond the lower vitality of this year’s index, positions are still moving back and forth with remarkable intensity, confirming a still very competitive and unstable playground from a PR standpoint. Apart from Mediametrie and BVA, the ranking has entirely shaken its positions with an equivalent proportion of ups and downs.
In France, Oliver Wyman, Roland Berger, Bain & Company, if they were included in the TOP30 Media Exposure Index for Consulting Firms, would score in the last third range of the table, between 5 and 78 units for the beginning of the year 2019.
Let’s now expect that mid-Q3/early-Q4 announcements will constitute the next stepping stones to draw upon for Public Relations and Influence Managers of this ranking.
*March data not included in Q1 consolidation. Strategic announcements and their media impact are released and collected far before that month.
→ RELATED STORY: Top 30 Media Exposure Index 2018
Methodology
Reputation Intelligence by Kantar Media (Onclusive) is a leading online service that provides the most comprehensive and accurate intelligence on media coverage among 22,000 News sources in France including TV, Radio, Print, Internet, and Twitter’s Publishers’ certified accounts. Kantar Media, one of the world’s largest market research company, is part of WPP.
About the Media Exposure Index (MEI30)
The Media Exposure Index for 30 consulting firms in France (MEI30) is an analytical tool designed by Raphaël Couderc that measures and ranks a wide range of influence metrics for 30 selected consulting firms in the French media landscape.
About Raphaël Couderc
10+ years of proven track record in marketing and communications activities backed by a business school master’s degree and a world cup level athletic career. Read more: about.me/raphaelcouderc
