As publishers invest ever more resources into first-party data and multiplatform storytelling, a webinar panel of four top commercial figures called on agencies and advertisers to increase advertising spend in high attention news brands
When panel host and Newsworks client and agency services director Niki West asked what agency leaders can do to promote more support for journalism, the answer from the panel was clear: include news brands on the next media owner brief.
The call came in the Newsworks-hosted webinar ‘Actions speak louder the words’, which took place on this morning (Thursday 13 November) to make the commercial case for news brands.
Innovation emerged as a consistent theme throughout the session, particularly as a result of an ever-fragmenting digital media landscape. Ryan Uhl, MD, revenue, strategy and implementation at Mail Metro Media, underlined the pace of news brands’ evolution to match that of other online platforms.
“We’ve changed more over the last two years than we have in the last ten”, he said. However, what hasn’t changed was news brands’ commitment to storytelling. He added, “What’s unique about journalism is that fundamentally, you’re expert storytellers, and good stories can be told well…in all manners of communication devices.”
Karen Eccles, The Telegraph’s chief commercial officer, agreed with Uhl, saying a more fragmented advertising landscape has been a driving force for “so much innovation from news brands”, while The Sun’s EVP, publisher Dominic Carter said that opens up great opportunity for advertisers: “We have to be everywhere our customers are.”
This drive for innovation also translates into how news brands are increasingly commanding their rich first-party data to inform both their editorial and commercial offerings.
Imogen Fox, chief advertising officer at the Guardian, spoke about how this rich data on audience behaviour can be beneficial for time-poor agencies and their clients: “They’re overworked and we just want to help them and say, ‘We’ve got this, this will help you inform your next campaign.'”
With the panel also covering news brands’ reach, effectiveness and relevance into 2026 and beyond, watch the full webinar below.
