The importance of investing in journalism, and thereby helping to support democracy the world over, isn’t a subject that usually gets much attention at Cannes.
In recent years, brands shied away from news advertising as it was deemed polarising and marketers grew wary of brand safety.
Also, let’s face it, quality journalism has never had quite the same buzz (or Gen Z promise) for advertisers as, say, the creator economy, sports or entertainment.
But brands are now starting to change their approach and invest more in news media. This is, in part, thanks to recent research showing ads in hard-news environments outperform other channels, including entertainment content.
Is this any wonder when doom scrolling is now a global pastime?
Our addiction to news isn’t just because of a collective sado-masochistic streak. With civilisation on the brink and the rampant spread of misinformation, people are actively seeking out trusted sources of news.
General Motors is among the brands upping their spend on journalism. At a panel discussion at Adweek House this week, its chief global media officer Shenan Reed revealed General Motors has doubled its investment in news in the past three years, particularly in local news.
This welcome trend comes as the UK government outlined plans this week to give established broadcasters and media companies greater prominence on platforms such as YouTube and TikTok. Let’s hope under the new PM, this comes to fruition.
One of the reasons brand purpose died a death was because marketers were massively overthinking it. It doesn’t require a load of complex strategizing to come up with ways to do good in the world while, at the same time, engaging massive audiences. Just put your ad spend into news media. Job done.
Jane Austin is the founder and owner of Persuasion Communications.
