Meta's news loss could be advertisers' gain: ThinkNewsBrands

Meta’s decision to abandon news presents opportunities for advertisers to reengage with news publishers directly, according to ThinkNewsBrand’s chief executive, Vanessa Lyons.

The internet giant’s recent announcement that it would not renew deals to pay for Australian news content has received backlash from government and media brands concerned about the impact on journalism and Australia’s news publishers. However, Lyons told Mediaweek that it also has implications for advertisers.

“There are also issues for advertisers because the value that news brings to Meta’s platforms would be lost too,” said Lyons.

“Advertising in news is informative, trustworthy, and less disruptive, so it’s highly engaging.

“In fact, advertising in news is 18% more trustworthy than all other media. So, news helps to raise the standards and makes Meta’s platforms safer places for brands."

Lyons pointed to a recent study by Fiftyfive5, which found written news is the third most engaging medium after podcasts and cinema.

“We know that 75% of readers are fully engaged when reading written news. This high engagement factor helps to keep users absorbed and creates lean-in attention moments that are incredibly valuable for advertisers,” said Lyons.

“It’s unclear how things will play out but the good news for advertisers is that they don’t need to miss out. They can go straight to the source and invest in news publishing directly – where the audience impact comes from.”

According to Roy Morgan's readership figures, 18.1m Australians read news weekly, with just 20% nominating social media as the main source of news, according to data from Australian Communications and Media Authority.

Lyons said brands and media agencies should seize the opportunity to engage directly with news publishers to position products and services alongside “trusted and safe” content to help engage new audiences.  

“In a world where social licence can be a deciding factor for consumers, written news publishing is the kind of content advertisers can feel confident having their brands connected to.

“News sparks discussion and debate across endless topics among Australians of all kinds. This community engagement is highly valuable for advertisers, allowing them to tap into enthusiastic, energised and highly engaged audiences.

“Quality news is what people want and social is just one way to get it."

See also: Memo to Meta: No one likes bullies (and they don’t win)