Dentsu and The 614 Group Spearhead a New Coalition to Enhance Investment in News

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Coalition to engage top marketers in an effort to protect the value of modern news journalism


New York, NY (Sept 5, 2024) — Dentsu and The 614 Group announced today the formation of a groundbreaking coalition aimed at fostering substantial and sustainable investments in credible news. This initiative comes as a response to the growing challenges faced by journalism in the digital age, where traditional monetization strategies have struggled under the weight of brand safety and suitability measures.

This collaboration will study why leading brands invest in news today and aim to deliver a marketer’s point of view on how these investments can increase. The effort has gained support from several dentsu clients who will be sharing important data and understanding in the research process. OpenX and Sightly have signed on as underwriters to support the launch of the work. Additional brands and underwriters are currently being invited to participate. 

The effort will create a playbook for leading brands and others who make serious investments in news, especially at critical times such as during the 2024 election cycle.

Rob Rasko, CEO of The 614 Group, remarked, “This is more than just a study on news and brand safety: it's a commitment by leading brands to actively support the infrastructure of news itself and share a concrete view of those plans. Our aim is to ensure that journalism not only survives but thrives by leveraging the collective power of the industry’s foremost players.”

The coalition plans to tackle several key areas:

  • Understand how leading marketers wish to activate in news media
  • Develop a buyer’s view of the current offerings and commentary on what works and why
  • Surface data on performance captured by news
  • Rapid Mobilization: Understanding why brands might block news content and finding consensus on solutions
  • Ad Tech Advancements: Enhancing tools that allow for safer, more effective brand presence in news-related media 

The 614 Group, developers of other industry-leading research, such as the ad industry’s leading global fraud/IVT benchmarking study, will lead in organizing the necessary research, developing strategic recommendations, and managing public relations materials. These efforts will culminate in a comprehensive report, due for release later this year, which will be accompanied by a series of presentations across various industry conferences and summits.

“Today, more than ever, it is crucial that the digital advertising community recognizes the intrinsic value of news—not just as a medium, but as a cornerstone of society. Through this coalition, we aim to highlight that investing in news is not just good ethics; it's sound business strategy," said Deva Bronson, EVP, Head of Media Responsibility, dentsu.

For more information about the coalition or to join in this pivotal initiative, please contact Spencer Janis at Spencer@614GROUP.com.

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ABOUT DENTSU

Dentsu is an integrated growth and transformation partner to the world’s leading organizations. Founded in 1901 in Tokyo, Japan, and now present in over 145 countries and regions, it has a proven track record of nurturing and developing innovations, combining the talents of its global network of leadership brands to develop impactful and integrated growth solutions for clients. Dentsu delivers end-to-end experience transformation (EX) by integrating its services across Media, CXM and Creative, while its business transformation (BX) mindset pushes the boundaries of transformation and sustainable growth for brands, people and society.

Dentsu, Innovating to Impact.

Find out more:

www.dentsu.com

www.group.dentsu.com

ABOUT THE 614 GROUP

The 614 Group is an industry-focused advisory firm committed to helping organizations rooted in the media industry. Founded in 2011 by Rob Rasko, we offer a bespoke research practice through our Fathom business unit that also operates Snapshot, a marketing and advertising B2B research panel. Our consulting practice, ANSWER, provides innovative solutions that drive transformative results. The 614 Group’s mission is to help move our clients from one stage of their cycle to the next and deliver superior, swift and lasting business results. Additionally, the Brand Safety Summit Series, which was also started by Rasko, is a global events platform, serving as a dynamic forum for education of industry practitioners on Brand Safety and amplifying thought leadership to the community of global digital leaders.

Find out more:

www.614group.com

www.brandsafetysummit.com

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