Research shows brands can 4X the ROI on their marketing investment and deliver double digit growth on customer acquisition and conversion through investment in Total News as the platform to access highly engaged, ‘ready to buy’ customers. Vanessa Lyons delves into the latest research revealing the power of news as a bottom-of-funnel driver.
Want to double the sales and bottom-of-funnel impact of your campaigns? Well, invest in Total News.
Research consistently shows news, whether in print or digital, has significant impact on sales and conversion metrics. This is not just based on a specific point in time, or a global pandemic phenomenon; it holds true across different industries and time frames. In fact, for every $1 spent on news advertising, businesses can expect a return of $3.90 - four times the impact on average, irrespective of category.
Yet it’s the direct impact news has on the bottom line that is establishing it as the secret weapon in savvy marketers’ media mix when under increasing pressure to deliver greater commercial effectiveness with budget restraint.
New research spanning 160 brands, five years, three independent studies and $450m+ in advertising spend shows us news is supercharging sales results. Brands choosing total news have seen +14% uplift in sales, a whopping +56% in customer acquisition and +88% market share increases against those who have not. It’s worth noting these advertisers have also seen +88% profit growth – a figure that will bring a smile to every CFO’s lips.
The reason lies in news’ unique consumer formula: The right audience, in the right environment, highly engaged, and ready to take action.
News audiences offer the eyeballs that matter to brands. News reaches 96 per cent of the Australian population every month, with high relevance and engagement amongst all demographics.
More importantly, news, relative to other media, is more likely to be chosen by segments which are cash rich and economically resilient.
Developed by Dr Ross Honeywell and measured by Roy Morgan, news media overindexes with ‘super NEOs’; lucrative consumers for marketers, which are 2.5x more likely to earn over $250,000 per year, and three times more likely to invest and spend their money compared to other demographics.
Then there’s news publishers unrivalled access to first party data. This data-driven nature of news supports a more audience-oriented marketing approach. By placing advertisements in news environments, and employing audience-based targeting, brands see close to double the sales impact than when news is excluded from the media mix. According to research, 74 per cent of campaigns using the right targeting delivered significant sales impact, compared to 40 per cent of campaigns that did not.
The third winning ingredient is news’ inherent lean-in environment. News provides the ideal space for consumers to absorb information thanks to longer dwell times, vetted content and increased attention. This produces compelling advertising sales and customer conversion.
When looking at ad exposure as a percentage of dwell time using heatmapping studies, Total News scores a hefty 55 per cent compared to Facebook (46 per cent); BVOD (17.4 per cent), and YouTube (16 per cent).
Diving right to the bottom of the funnel, the impact of news in the media mix becomes even more apparent. News advertising drives +23pp lifts in purchase intent and brand advocacy on average, crucial ingredients for brands looking to convert consumers into customers.
These findings are supported by broad market consensus. Many marketing chiefs and media agencies are already recognising the bottom-of-the-funnel capabilities of news and advocating for its inclusion in media strategies. Take Dell Technologies Country Marketing Head, Sandip Gosh, who reported a 60 per cent uplift in conversion metrics after exposing his brand and message to news consumers “helping them to make an informed decision to engage with the technology brand”.
For News Corp Australia Managing Director of National Sales, Lou Barrett, the latest research reaffirms Total News as a relevant and effective channel through the funnel, and for driving “Total Commerce”.
“This presents an invaluable opportunity for brands to reassess their budget allocation and place a greater emphasis on Total News to achieve both their brand and sales objectives simultaneously,” Barrett says. “It's time for brands to recognise the power of Total News and leverage it to unlock untapped potential in their marketing strategies.”
Such demonstrable sales impact makes it imperative marketers reassess their media mix allocation. The optimal allocation of media budget to news for maximum ROI impact is 7.5%
The available research and evidence support a move for marketers to reconsider and increase current media mix weighting; by reallocating resources away from channels such as outdoor, search, social media, and redirecting them toward news platforms.
So, isn’t it time you put greater weighing to your news media mix to maximise your sales, market share and profit potential?
Total News is an indispensable tool for brand building and an incredibly reliable channel for driving sales at the bottom of the funnel, to find out more, visit this link.
Vanessa Lyons is the General Manager of ThinkNewsBrands.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.