New research from Ogilvy’s annual global survey of over 250 reporters and editors identifies Facebook as the number one gatekeeper for news, edging out legacy traditional media sources and significantly outpacing other social networks and digital platforms like Google and Twitter.
Carried out by Ogilvy Media Influence team members in 22 offices across North America, EMEA and Asia Pacific, the survey also uncovered that print media is leading the way with successfully adapting in the digital world across all geographies.
“Our survey demonstrates that new technology and digital media advancements are changing how we consume news,” said Jennifer Risi, worldwide chief communications officer at Ogilvy, in a news release. “As a news aggregator, Facebook is exposing users to news publications they may not have read otherwise. Brands can now leverage traditional earned media to reach key audiences, that is then further amplified through social media and influencer engagement—with built in audiences—for an effective communications campaign aimed at driving reputation and building influence.”
The global survey also found that digital storytelling and mobile devices are emerging as growth drivers with most journalists (34 percent) believing that digital platforms—such as live video and podcasts—present the largest growth opportunity for news organizations to reinvent today’s standard industry media model.
Additional key findings:
- Facebook is the #1 gatekeeper for news [39 percent], edging out legacy traditional media sources [32 percent] and significantly outpacing other social networks/digital platforms like Google [15 percent] and Twitter [4 percent]. However, on a regional level, we see distinctions in EMEA [60 percent] and Asia Pacific [22 percent].
- In sum, print media [40 percent] is viewed as the platform most successful in adapting to the digital world with slight regional differences. North America [45 percent], Asia Pacific [43 percent] and EMEA [32 percent].
- Journalists worldwide see digital platforms [34 percent] and smartphones and/or mobile devices [26 percent] as avenues to reimagine news reporting in a mobile era. Other burgeoning technologies, like virtual reality [9 percent] and artificial intelligence [7 percent] have yet to meaningfully resonate with media.
- Mix of earned media [40%], social media [27 percent] and influencer engagement [13 percent] is most effective for driving brand reputation and influence across all geographies.
The annual global media survey conducted by the Ogilvy Media Influence staff is quickly becoming an ardent industry resource. The results being unveiled during the 2017 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity represent the first half of the survey. Ogilvy will announce results from the second half of the survey later this year.
