Brands have long avoided advertising alongside news content, but new findings reveal controversial topics may not always hurt ad performance. Campaign explores how advanced targeting and AI are empowering advertisers to confidently leverage the news landscape.
Advertising alongside news content—even controversial topics—may be as safe and effective for brands as ads in traditionally positive environments like sports and entertainment, according to a new report.
A study by Stagwell, which involved testing ads from various brands across different news publishers, found no significant difference in critical metrics such as purchase intent and favourability between ads next to news content and those in other content types.
The report counters the prevailing belief that news environments are less desirable due to concerns over brand safety. It also highlights that news ads often perform on par with those in entertainment and sports, with the study revealing that ads on contentious topics, such as political news, do not significantly impact consumer perception.
Campaign speaks to industry experts about how these findings will address advertiser fears and the future of news content in brand strategy.
Aligning brand values with ad placement
For brands, maintaining consistent messaging that aligns with their values and mission is essential for building trust. Content alignment and suitability vary widely across verticals and campaigns. Consumers are increasingly aware of what type of content is considered appropriate for brands.
Filippo Gramigna, co-chief executive of Onetag, points out that another option is semantic data, an advanced form of contextual advertising that delivers a richer solution than site classification and keyword. Semantic data organises information based on its meaning and how different pieces relate to each other. For instance, some marketers might only want their content to appear in lifestyle or news sections but using semantic data could mean that content can appear in both sections.
“Given the scale of general news content, you can also blend broader relevant content with highly targeted content pages,” says Gramigna.
Originally published on: Campaign
