Tue Sep 24 04:01:00 UTC 2024: ## Stagwell Calls for Advertisers to Rethink Brand Safety, Invest in News
**New York, NY – September 24, 2024** – Advertising network Stagwell is launching a print campaign urging advertisers to invest in quality journalism and reconsider outdated brand safety guidelines. The company argues that overly stringent safety standards often lead to the defunding of valuable news organizations, punishing journalists for reporting on critical, often controversial, issues.
“It’s a vicious cycle: Brands are pulling back from advertising in news, and consumers often are not willing to pay for the journalism they consume,” reads the ad, which appears in publications such as Politico, USA Today, and The New York Times. “As newsrooms decline, disinformation and misinformation rise. And democracy suffers.”
Stagwell emphasizes the urgency of the situation, particularly with the 2024 elections impacting half the world’s population. Alexis Williams, Stagwell’s chief corporate affairs officer, points out that “If marketers and business leaders continue to shy away from investing in the news, the continued defunding of news will continue and brands will miss out on the ability to reach incredibly valuable audiences.”
Research by Stagwell’s HarrisX shows that 25% of Americans read an average of seven news stories per day, representing a highly engaged and valuable audience for advertisers.
The campaign is part of Stagwell’s ongoing efforts to debunk what it considers unjustified brand safety norms. Company chairman and CEO Mark Penn argues that “Such concerns are not only statistically unfounded when it comes to quality journalism but often seem to be driven by hidden political motives.” He calls for a return to “open, free-flowing information” and urges advertisers to support news outlets beyond limiting their advertising to sports and entertainment.
While some leading publications have expressed similar concerns, publishers still harbor concerns about ad environments and ensuring their ads are not delivered alongside misinformation. Stagwell, however, remains committed to advocating for investment in news publishers through its ‘Future of News’ initiative, which aims to highlight the importance of news in a democratic society.
The initiative, launched in May, will expand to other markets, with research on the UK market set to be released later this week.
First Piper 