Communications at a Crossroads
The European Association of Communication Directors (EACD) brought together the continent's leading communications professionals in Brussels on June 18-19, 2026. Among the voices shaping the conversation was Caroline Faillet, General Manager of JIN Group, who took to the stage to challenge one of the profession's most entrenched habits: measuring activity instead of driving change.
The Problem with Siloed Metrics
For years, communications teams have reported on what they produced (press coverage, post reach, share of voice) without being able to answer the more fundamental question: why does it matter? These siloed indicators, measured in isolation and disconnected from business strategy, have created a visibility gap between communicators and the executive table.
Caroline's argument was direct: the profession has been tracking outputs, not outcomes. And in an era where trust, perception, and reputation are among the most valuable corporate assets, that is no longer good enough.
A New Standard: Tailor-Made, Cross-Referenced, AI-Powered
JIN's response to this challenge is methodological. The firm advocates for a new generation of measurement built on three pillars:
- Tailor-made indicators designed around each organization's strategic objectives, not off-the-shelf benchmarks.
- Cross-referenced data connecting media, social, institutional, and behavioral signals into a single coherent picture.
- AI as an analytical layer, not to replace strategic thinking, but to surface patterns, accelerate synthesis, and finally link communication actions to real-world perception shifts.
The result is a model where communications moves from reporting to steering from the footnote of a board deck to the driver of strategic decisions.
A Conversation Worth Having
The session opened a broader debate among senior communicators on redefining what accountability looks like in the profession. JIN extends its thanks to Pierre-Hubert Meilhac from Dassault Systemes and Laurent Turpault for their contributions to the exchange and for helping sharpen this thinking in practice.
What This Means for Communicators
The EACD stage is one of the most influential forums for communication leadership in Europe. Having this conversation there is not incidental, it is a signal that the profession is ready to raise its own standard.
JIN's presence at the summit reflects the agency's broader commitment: building measurement frameworks that connect strategy, action, and real perception, for organizations that cannot afford to guess.
