July 14, 2025
While celebrity-studded beach concerts often grab the headlines at Cannes Lions, the real value of the festival is found in its quieter corners—where industry leaders gather to tackle the complex issues shaping advertising today. One such gathering was CNN’s roundtable on the future of advertising in news, bringing together CMOs, agency leaders and brand strategists to debate the opportunities and risks of marketing in journalism.
Reaffirming the Value of News
James Hunt of CNN opened by highlighting the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration to support the news industry. Marketers around the table were quick to articulate why journalism still earns a place in their media mix.
Chad Mulder of Juniper Networks explained the B2B rationale: “News attracts an affluent, intelligent, educated audience. We’re not reaching one buyer, we’re reaching a committee, including the CEO and CIO.”
AXA’s Ulrike Decoene offered a strategic perspective rooted in trust: “In a world of polycrisis, our clients trust us to help them understand how the world is turning. That aligns naturally with journalism.” AXA now dedicates around a quarter of its corporate branding budget to news, including branded content initiatives designed to communicate thought leadership on risk, sustainability and international affairs. “We’re also seeing that performance-only, hyper-targeted digital strategies aren’t helping us build brand recognition in key markets. Quality editorial environments help us grow that space.”
For UNICEF’s Dr. Frederique Covington Corbett, news is about influence: “We target a high-value audience of philanthropists and changemakers. Bespoke partnerships within trusted news environments allow us to engage on shaping the future of the world.”
Different Markets, Different Realities
Shubhranshu Singh of Tata Motors reminded the group that news ecosystems vary significantly by market. In India, for example, “ratification by volume—‘if enough people say it, it must be true’—has become the standard. There’s growing polarization and viciousness online, so people are going back to TV and print to verify facts.” Despite India’s youthful, mobile-first demographic, Singh noted that trust and credibility remain central: “Long-form journalism is dying, but people still want to believe in something reliable.”
What’s Holding Back Investment?
Despite strong endorsements, many participants acknowledged a troubling dissonance: brands value news personally, yet hesitate professionally.
Emma Withington of Havas pointed to a psychological and procedural barrier: “We know news is a quality environment, but clients are nervous about negative associations. That fear is often personal and subjective, and it’s amplified by automation. Decisions go through so many layers that the editorial context is often lost.”
Karen Bronzo of Warner Bros. Discovery added, “We need to redefine what ‘breaking news’ means. It’s overused, and that’s backfiring, triggering brand safety concerns even when the content isn’t genuinely sensitive.”
The Political Risk Factor
According to Ian Colley of The Trade Desk, the real problem may not be the news, it’s the politics surrounding it. “After the 2016 U.S. election, major brands shut off news altogether—not because it was unsafe, but because of political risk. Now, whether you’re present or absent, you’re vulnerable. The challenge is about control, not just content.”
He added that authenticated environments like streaming TV and digital audio have become the gold standard. “Until recently, most news didn’t offer advertisers the data fidelity they expect. But that’s changing fast, with better identity tools and clearer supply chain paths. We’re seeing renewed demand as news outlets catch up.”
Jamie Credland of World Media Group noted that signal alone isn’t enough: “Programmatic buys take targeting very literally. But taking context into account makes a huge difference. On a site such as the Wall Street Journal, whether or not the signal says you’re a CFO, you’re likely a senior business influencer. That nuance matters.”
The Brand Safety Paradox
Ironically, the brand safety movement, originally intended to protect advertisers, has often punished the safest environments.
“Brand safety tools were created in response to truly dangerous situations—like terrorist content on YouTube,” said Credland. “But over time, the restrictions have disproportionately impacted quality journalism.”
Alexis Williams of Stagwell revealed that some publishers now see up to 50% of their content blocked by keyword-based tools, even during peak engagement moments like breaking news. “CPMs can drop from multiple dollar values, $3-4 or more, right down to $0.20-0.30, just when audiences are most engaged. Exact numbers will vary by publisher, but that’s a systemic failure.”
Mulder warned that most brand safety data is short-term: “It measures demand gen and performance, but ignores long-term brand building. We’re missing insights on affinity, association, and values.”
A Marketplace of Assumptions
Many around the table noted that perceptions of news are often oversimplified. “To some, ‘news’ just means chaos,” said Withington. “But journalism spans everything from breaking headlines to lifestyle features and constructive analysis. We need to educate the industry about the full spectrum.”
Dr. Corbett added, “Create new formats, such as constructive news, verified segments, commentary zones, so brands can feel safer engaging. This isn’t an ad placement issue. It’s a product design and industry issue.”
What Happens If We Don’t Act?
Credland issued a stark warning: “We assume journalism will survive while we chase clicks elsewhere. But it’s expensive to send reporters to dangerous places to ask hard questions. That won’t be replaced by AI.”
Decoene put it bluntly: “We risk a world where journalism is a luxury. Then every piece of ‘news’ becomes just another opinion. And brands will struggle to communicate in that chaos.”
Dr. Corbett added, “We’re seeing deliberate shifts in how news is framed, especially in the U.S. If consumers start to believe that every opinion is as good as fact, we’re in real trouble.”
Conclusion: Time for Strategic Courage
Advertising in news isn’t just a tactical decision, it’s a moral and strategic imperative. It delivers reach, trust, and influence among key audiences. But that opportunity is at risk, threatened by political caution, data myopia, and a media ecosystem tilted toward unregulated platforms.
As Williams noted, “There’s a fundamental disconnect here. CEOs consume news religiously, but their brands avoid it.”
If the industry doesn’t course-correct, we risk losing the very platforms that inform our world. And no amount of performance marketing can substitute for a society, and a marketplace, built on truth.