Prime Real Estate: Why Advertisers (And Consumers) Love News Content And Environments

Ads do better next to news.

And while that might not feel like news at all to many publishers, it’s reassuring when the marketers responsible for buying those campaigns acknowledge the benefits from their side.

In a DoubleVerify survey of nearly 2,000 marketers, 60% said advertising in news environments “outperforms campaign baselines,” with a further 27% seeing an average performance from that inventory.

“The research highlights the opportunity that news presents for marketers looking for high-performing, cost-effective media,” writes DoubleVerify’s Jack Marshall. “Consumers actively value brands that support news content by advertising alongside it.”

In trying to nail down what constitutes “unsuitability” for their advertising, the research found only 1% of marketers consider news content unsuitable. Of the rest, they range from the 95% who don’t consider “soft” news topics unsuitable to the more cautious 84% who don’t consider breaking news unsuitable; 93% found a news homepage works “from a brand suitability perspective.”

(Source: DoubleVerify)

“The data highlights the need for advertisers to take a nuanced approach to news to capitalize on the opportunity it presents while maintaining their suitability needs,” Marshall writes.