Marketers Find News Advertising Delivers Superior Results
News advertising is emerging as a high-performing digital channel, with recent research revealing that it often outperforms other forms of digital media. A global survey conducted by media measurement platform DoubleVerify found that 60% of marketers report better-than-average results when placing ads in news environments.
The survey, which included responses from 1,970 marketing professionals worldwide, challenges long-held notions about the risks of advertising adjacent to journalism content. Contrary to concerns over brand safety, the data indicates that news placements are not only effective but also underutilized by many brands.
News Inventory Outpaces Campaign Averages
According to the study, only 11% of marketers found news placements delivered below-average performance, while 27% reported results on par with their general campaign benchmarks. This leaves a majority experiencing superior outcomes, suggesting that news content may offer a valuable, overlooked advertising opportunity.
DoubleVerify’s research comes at a time when publishers are under economic pressure. Declining referral traffic from search engines and the rise of AI-generated answers are reducing user visits to news sites. These trends make advertiser support more crucial than ever for sustaining journalism.
Changing Perceptions and Targeting Capabilities
Historically, many advertisers have avoided news platforms due to fears around controversial content. However, DoubleVerify’s data suggests that these assumptions are increasingly outdated. The report reveals that 95% of marketers consider soft news topics like sports, lifestyle, and entertainment suitable for advertising. Furthermore, 93% are comfortable with homepage placements, and over 80% accept current events and breaking news as appropriate contexts.
This nuanced approach to brand safety indicates that advertisers are distinguishing between different types of news content. Granular targeting capabilities, such as those offered by DoubleVerify’s News Accelerator program, allow brands to avoid specific content categories while still leveraging high-performing inventory.
Investment Trends Reflect Growing Confidence
The survey also highlights encouraging trends in news advertising investment. Currently, 53% of marketers are actively investing in news content, with another 28% planning to do so soon. This means over 80% of marketers either buy or plan to buy news inventory.
Among those already investing, the average allocation to news environments is 28% of their total digital budget — a surprisingly high percentage given lingering concerns about suitability. This suggests that marketers who engage with news placements are seeing returns that justify significant investment.
Vertical Investment Patterns and Industry Differences
Investment levels vary by industry. Sectors like automotive, healthcare, and energy report some of the highest rates of news advertising, with over 60% of marketers in these fields actively buying inventory. Conversely, fashion and entertainment sectors show lower engagement, likely due to different audience behaviors and content affinities.
These variations reflect strategic targeting rather than performance discrepancies. For example, news content may align better with educated audiences or those making considered purchases, making it ideal for industries like healthcare and technology.
Agencies vs. Brands: Diverging Risk Tolerances
The study also uncovers differences between agency and brand-side marketers. Agencies, often managing multiple client accounts, tend to be more conservative. They reported 20% more concern about controversial content and 16% more worry about negative news adjacency compared to brand marketers.
DoubleVerify suggests agencies could benefit from clearer client guidance on acceptable content parameters. This would help avoid overly restrictive settings that limit access to valuable news inventory.
New Suitability Tools Enhance Control
To address lingering concerns, DoubleVerify introduced refined content categories such as Sensitive Breaking News, Current Events, and Opinion & Editorial. These classifications, powered by AI, enable advertisers to avoid specific content types without blocking entire domains, making brand safety more precise and less exclusionary.
This model aligns with Media Rating Council standards, which now require content-level analysis for verification services to claim brand safety. It also reflects a broader industry shift toward smarter, article-level controls across platforms like Meta, Amazon DSP, and Google Demand Gen.
News Advertising Supports Journalism Sustainability
As traffic increasingly consolidates within platform-controlled ecosystems, publishers face declining ad revenues. AI crawlers and search features further reduce traffic to journalism sites. One publisher reportedly earned only $174 from AI-generated traffic scraping millions of pages.
In this context, advertiser investment in news environments becomes critical. DoubleVerify’s News Accelerator not only facilitates sophisticated targeting but also supports the journalism ecosystem by guiding marketers toward more inclusive and effective ad placements.
Looking Ahead: A Reassessment of Brand Safety
DoubleVerify’s research encourages marketers to reconsider outdated brand safety practices that exclude news content wholesale. Instead, the findings support a more balanced approach that preserves campaign performance while respecting brand standards.
With news environments delivering strong results and new tools available to manage content adjacency, marketers have a compelling reason to re-engage with journalism as a strategic ad channel. The performance data, combined with advanced verification capabilities, presents a strong case for broader investment in news advertising.
This article is inspired by content from Original Source. It has been rephrased for originality. Images are credited to the original source.