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 -- 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.
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