Changing the perception of advertising alongside news with hard data

On the eve of election day in the U.S, the number of news outlets reporting on the races is continuing to dissipate. A recent report from Northwestern University found 127 newspapers across America closed down in 2023, leaving nearly 55 million Americans with limited or no access to local news.

This continues the expanding trend of news deserts we’ve seen over the years, as now more than half of counties in the U.S. have one or zero local news outlets.

Still, the report finds there is some room for optimism. 81 standalone digital local news sites opened in 2023, increasing the total number of those sites to 740.

A persistent challenge for news publishers has been capturing advertisers dollars. Multiple recent studies are hoping to turn that tide, showing it’s safe and valuable to advertise alongside news coverage.

The latest success story comes up north in Canada, where Dentsu found some big time results for the effectiveness of local news. The holding company's VP of performance and platforms, Fil Lourenco, shared those results with me during our conversation.