NewsMediaWorks, with the support of its
foundation partners News Corp Australia, Fairfax Media and Seven West
Media, today unveils a nationwide advertising campaign that reinforces
the importance of trusted journalism environments in news media to
advertisers.
The campaign, developed by
Melbourne-based creative agency Thinkerbell and targeting advertisers
and their agencies, will appear across all metropolitan and national
print and digital news media, plus a majority of regional and community
titles.
It features a range of executions that
assert why trusted journalism is important for advertisers, including:
"It's what's on the other page that makes this space so powerful", "For
why this ad works, see above" and in digital "Surround your brand with
articles your customers trust".

The campaign will
point to a website that directs advertisers and agencies to the ADTRUST* study findings.
Says
News Media Works CEO, Peter Miller: "They say the company you keep
defines you, it's the same for brands and the context within which they
choose to be seen. So, if you surround yourself with the truth, you in
turn will be trusted. As Australia's most trusted news media, we're the
ideal place for brands to be seen and believed. The truth builds trust.
"Journalism
is what draws readers to our trusted news brands. More than 16 million
every month. It is this environment of trust in the news content that
defines our news brands and, in so doing, produces tremendous
opportunities for advertisers."
Thinkerbell
founder and consumer psychologist, Adam Ferrier, said the campaign was
born from the ADTRUST study from Galaxy Research that found that only
22% of people trust what they read in social media, and newspapers are
the most trusted media for both content and ads. Trust in media channels
directly drives purchase intent, with 58% of consumers agreeing that
the more they trust an ad, the more likely they are to buy a product or
service.

"What
sets news media brands apart from other forms of media is their
journalism. Branded messages will appear within context that has been
fact checked, proofed, and considered. We wanted to ensure advertisers
understand that it's being seen within this context that is extremely
important for brands," Ferrier said.
Says
NewsMediaWorks Chairman and News Corp Australasia Executive Chairman,
Michael Miller: "Australia's leading news media publishers are strongly
aligned in our support of this important campaign. It creatively asserts
the importance and value of trusted journalism and authentic
storytelling - which lies at the heart of our great news brands - to
advertisers."
The NewsMediaWorks campaign
launches at a time when there is substantial uplift in advertising
expenditure in print news media. The most recent SMI August figures show
double-digit growth in metropolitan newspaper spend and growth for
newspapers overall.
Print spend grew 2.7%
year-on-year, attributed to the 11.1% increase in agency spend in metro
titles. Regional papers also experienced growth, according to the latest
figures.
Sources:
* Galaxy Research; n=4200 Australians aged 18+ over 2 waves; Jun17 2
legs of n=1400 with each leg covering 5 of the 10 media types ; Apr18 1
leg of n=1400 covering each of the 10 media.