Stagwell Expands 'Future of News' Initiative to the U.K. with a September 26 Summit at its EMEA Headquarters

Summit to Convene Prominent U.K. Journalists and Industry Leaders, including Kamal Ahmed, Joanna Gosling, Sam McAlister and more

Stagwell to Unveil a New U.K. Version of the News Advertising Study, Highlight the Power of the News Audience and Debunk Common Brand Safety Misconceptions

LONDON, Sept. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) today announced the speakers for its London Future of News summit coming up on September 26, 2024, at Stagwell's EMEA headquarters in London's Blue Fin Building.

During the event, Stagwell will debut groundbreaking research conducted by HarrisX fielded among 25,000 U.K. respondents. Tailored specifically to the U.K. consumer marketplace, this study builds upon Stagwell's News Advertising Study released in May, which proved it is safe for brands to advertise adjacent to quality news content agnostic of the topic.

"Brands are missing out by not advertising in quality news," said Chairman and CEO of Stagwell Mark Penn. "News is a critical marketing vehicle essential to business success, and we're excited to expand our future of News initiative to the U.K. and share our findings on a global stage."

Stagwell is proud to introduce new partners across publishing and the industry to our Future of News initiative. These partners include The Associated Press, Conscious Advertising Network, Gannett, The Guardian US, The Hill, The Independent, NewsNation, Newsweek, Nexstar, New York Post, Ozone, The Rebooting, Reuters, USA Today and World Media Group. These publishers and industry leaders will join Stagwell's existing cohort including Ad Fontes Media, Axel Springer, Axios, Business Insider, POLITICO, The New York Times, The Trade Desk, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.

"Our May study debunked myths around brand safety in news and identified a significant, under-tapped audience of news consumers," said Founder and CEO of HarrisX Dritan Nesho. "Time and again we're seeing that ads appearing next to so-called 'not brand safe' news content perform just as well as ads next to 'brand safe' content. The findings of our U.K. study are decisive." 

The summit will commence with Penn unveiling the research results, followed by two panel discussions:

Panel I: Being A Journalist Today – Stories from the Field: A moderated conversation about the journalists today who are breaking down barriers, holding truth to power, and shining a light on the issues that matter most- despite the most difficult and dangerous of circumstances, featuring:

• Kamal Ahmed, Director of Audio and Presenter, The Daily Telegraph
• Matt Barbet, Anchor, Sky News
• James Harding, Editor & Founder, Tortoise Media
• Sam McAlister, Author, Executive Producer and LSE Senior Fellow
• Spriha Srivastava, International Executive Editor, Business Insider 
• Jerome Starkey, Defence Editor, The Sun 
• Moderated by Joanna Gosling, Author, Broadcaster and Journalist

Panel II: Why News Works for Brands: Investment in advertising on news platforms is not only brand safe, but also lends itself to a strong return on investment. This session will be an interactive dialogue with business leaders sharing their perspectives on the value of news and how to maximize impact through tailored marketing, featuring:

• Ross Easton, Director of External Affairs, Energy Networks Association
• Mark Evans, Marketing Society Honorary Fellow and Executive Marketeer
• Tina Fegent, Co-Chair, Conscious Advertising Network
• Moderated by Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO, Stagwell 

To learn more and get involved, contact [email protected].

About Stagwell
Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) is the challenger network 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 34+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for their clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com.

About HarrisX
HarrisX is a leading global research consultancy that regularly conducts major market research, public policy polling and social science studies and consulting engagements in more than 40 countries around the world. It is a proud member of Stagwell Global (STGW). Learn more at www.harrisx.com.

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Madison Wick
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SOURCE Stagwell Inc.