Fewer than half expect the global economy,
inflation or geopolitical conflicts to improve in 2025
Stagwell Chairman and CEO Mark Penn to reveal additional results of the
study on stage at the World Economic Forum 2025
NEW
YORK, Jan. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Before
leaders gather at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos next week, Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) today
unveiled the results of a survey of CEOs and Board Directors
regarding their outlook on critical topics shaping the future
including economic conditions, artificial intelligence (AI), and
the evolving relationship between CEOs and Board Directors and the
news media.
At Stagwell, we believe a thriving news industry is not only the
foundation of a healthy democracy, but also a critical platform for
marketers and advertisers. However, recent discourse around brand
safety – the effort of protecting a brand's reputation by
controlling advertisement proximity to certain content – has
disproportionately hurt the news industry, as advertisers shy away
from news due to misconceptions and an abundance of caution.
Stagwell launched the Future of News Initiative with the goal of
reinvigorating the relationship between news and marketing through
research, events and informed discussion around brand safety.
This latest study, fielded among more than 1,000 CEOs and Board
Directors across 14 countries, and conducted by Stagwell's HarrisX
research consultancy, underscores that business leaders
overwhelmingly value the importance of news media as a powerful
advertising tool.
CEOs and Board Directors Are Strong Proponents of News
Media
- 90% of CEOs and Board Directors follow the news closely,
reading an average of six articles per day.
- A strong majority say news media raises awareness of critical
issues (83%), can positively influence society (81%), and is
critical to democracy (79%).
- The executives view advertising in news media as a strategic
tool, with 86% saying companies should advertise on news media and
87% calling it a sound investment to reach and influence
stakeholders.
- 75% say their companies should advertise in news more, compared
to just 7% who want to scale back their advertisement in news.
CEOs and Board Directors Think Brand Safety Protocols Are
Overapplied
- 84% of CEOs and Board Directors say their organizations apply
brand safety protocols, but 57% think it is a mistake to apply
brand safety across all news outlets and types of news
content.
- 69% say brand safety protocols are overapplied to the point of
hurting media outlets and advertisers.
- 75% of executives of large companies in particular believe
brand safety has been overapplied.
Tempered Expectations for 2025
- 42% of CEOs and Board Directors expect the global economy to
improve in 2025, while 35% predict stagnation and 23% anticipate a
decline.
- 36% believe inflation will ease, but 35% foresee no change and
29% expect worsening.
- Only 33% foresee improvement of geopolitical and military
conflicts this year, with 41% expecting no change and 26%
predicting escalation.
Throughout WEF next week, Stagwell will host programming
laddering back to its Future of News initiative including a News x
Democracy panel with AG Sulzberger, Chairman and Publisher at The
New York Times, and Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO of Stagwell.
Stagwell will also host a Cocktails and Conversation event in
partnership with The Washington Post to celebrate a new year of
collaboration and innovation in shaping the future of news.
Later this month, Stagwell will also host an inaugural Publisher
Showcase with its coalition of publisher partners at Stagwell's
headquarters in One World Trade Center. For more information about
the initiative and to get involved, visit
https://www.stagwellglobal.com/future-of-news/.
Methodology
This study was conducted with 1,028 CEOs
and Board Directors in the United
States, Canada,
United Kingdom, Germany, France, Brazil, Saudi
Arabia, United Arab
Emirates, Bahrain,
Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand. The executives interviewed for the
study lead publicly traded, privately-owned companies and public
sector organizations across industries. The online interviews were
conducted by HarrisX from December 30,
2024 to January 14, 2025.
About Stagwell
Stagwell is the challenger holding
company built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative
performance for the world's most ambitious brands, connecting
culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize
the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our
specialists in 35+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to
drive effectiveness and improve business results for our clients.
Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com.
About HarrisX
HarrisX is a leading public opinion
research, data analytics, and strategy consulting company with
offices in the United States,
United Kingdom, Canada and Singapore. HarrisX conducts multi-method
research in over 50 countries around the world on behalf of Fortune
100 companies and philanthropic organizations, public policy
institutions, global leaders, media and NGOs. HarrisX is a proud
member of Stagwell Global (STGW). Learn more
at www.harrisx.com.
Contact:
Kara
Gelber
PR@stagwellglobal.com
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SOURCE Stagwell Inc.