DoubleVerify, a leading software platform to verify media quality and optimise ad performance, surveyed 1,970 marketers globally to explore their attitudes and investment decisions related to news content, and the majority of respondents reported that inventory in news environments outperforms campaign baselines. 

The research highlights the opportunity that news presents for marketers looking for high-performing, cost-effective media, and builds on previous DV research indicating that consumers actively value brands that support news content by advertising alongside it.

Other key findings include:

• The vast majority of marketers do not consider news an unsuitable advertising environment.
• Most marketers currently invest in news content or intend to do so in the future.
• Brands in certain verticals are more likely than others to invest in news content.
• Concerns about "negative" news and controversial topics are the biggest barriers to additional investment in news environments.

News inventory outperforms other environments: 60% of marketer respondents said advertising placed in news environments performs better than campaign baselines, and 27% said it performs on par with baselines. Just 11% of respondents found that news inventory performed below average compared with other media.

News environments are considered "suitable" for advertising: A tiny portion of marketers – just 1% – said they consider all types of news content to be unsuitable for advertising, but perspectives on suitability varied slightly depending on adjacency with different types of news content and pages.

The data highlights the need for advertisers to take a nuanced approach to news to capitalise on the opportunity it presents while maintaining their suitability needs.

Most marketers invest in news — or plan to: 53% of marketers said they currently invest in news content, and an additional 28% said they intend to in the future. Marketers currently investing in news also said they allocate significant portions of their budgets towards it, spending 28% of their budgets on average.

Some sectors are more likely to invest in news than others. Marketers in automotive and healthcare & pharmaceuticals, among others, say they advertise alongside news more than marketers in other verticals.

Agencies are more sensitive to controversial topics than brands: Among marketers investing in news, 20% more respondents from agencies said the prospect of appearing alongside controversial topics is a barrier to growing their investment in news.

Concern about "negative" news is the biggest barrier to investment: Among marketers who do not currently actively invest in news, respondents cited concern over advertising alongside negative news content as the biggest barrier preventing them from doing so.

Similarly, marketers who do invest in news said the most significant factors preventing them from allocating more budget are concerns about appearing alongside negative news or potentially controversial topics.

To address these concerns, DV recently introduced three news-related suitability categories to make it easier than ever for advertisers to invest confidently in news while ensuring their suitability needs are satisfied: Sensitive Breaking News, Current Events and Opinion & Editorial.

The new categories apply DoubleVerify's advanced AI-classification models to give advertisers unparalleled granularity, flexibility and control, enabling them to open up additional inventory and spend with news publishers and helping them capitalise on the brand-building opportunities news presents.

For more information on the research, visit here.

DoubleVerify

DoubleVerify is the leading independent provider of marketing measurement software, data and analytics that authenticates the quality and effectiveness of digital media for the world’s largest brands and media platforms. DV provides media transpare...

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