Ozone’s Client Services Director, Emma Cranston, shares our view on why we’re delighted to be partnering with Stagwell on the UK launch of its ‘Future of News’ study
It’s going to be a busy few days for Ozone as we team up with the brilliant team at Stagwell to bring the UK chapter of their ‘Future of News’ research to the stage at the Future of Media in Manchester, and Campaign Live in London.
As an audience platform built to power and empower the Premium Web – those online places where consumers come to be informed and entertained – the future of online news and journalism is a subject really close to our heart. And from a very personal perspective, having spent many years on the agency side of our industry leading publishing and activation teams, I’ve definitely seen the positive impact these environments can have on clients’ results.
That’s why we are delighted to be an industry partner for the UK launch of Stagwell’s ‘Future of News‘ research. Following the May unveiling of their 50,000 person News Advertising Study on the other side of the Atlantic, the Stagwell team has continued to build on the findings that dispel the traditional notions of ‘brand safety’ as it pertains to news content, and shine a light on a massive audience of ‘news junkies’.
Across the years we’ve seen a number of studies from the likes of Newsworks, the PPA and the IAB that have shown clear proof of more attentive audiences delivering better advertising results. However, it’s great to see Stagwell, as an impartial agency group, identify and drive home the value of news environments to marketing campaigns.
In their open letter to the industry, running in print and online – Stagwell states, “Business leaders need to work together to create a new virtuous cycle, one in which advertisers and consumers support news. When news organizations thrive, brands drive business results from reaching valuable audiences, and quality journalism prevails.” And we couldn’t agree more.
We share the same belief that the deployment of budgets in premium online environments, means more investment in content, which delivers more consumer attention and greater ad results. While of course this is really important in online news, we believe it’s equally important across the whole of the Premium Web. Whether it’s through editorial excellence or subject matter expertise, we believe those websites that put the consumer-first are exactly where brands expect to be seen, and where greater campaign value is realised.
At the end of the day, people turn to brands they trust and talk their language. And while the way we discover and consume content online continues to change, we know that the recognition factor of media channels continues to be impactful in delivering a halo effect for brands’ advertising campaigns. In short, mastheads still matter.
We’ll be diving into this topic with the Stagwell, HarrisX and Goodstuff teams at the Future of Media Manchester on Thursday, 26 September, and at Campaign Live in London on Tuesday, 1 October. Do come join the discussion if you can.
Visit stagwellglobal.com to find out more about the Future of News research or download an overview of the study using the button link below.
