A new survey from the VAB shows that consumers across all age levels are more likely to purchase products that appear in local TV new programming and that those ads also boost their opinion of the brand being advertised.
The study comes at a time when advertisers have expressed reluctance about appearing in news content given the levels of political polarization of the country and a growing push-back by publishers working to demonstrate the effectiveness of advertising in news.
The VAB worked with Dynata on the survey, which attempts to better understand the relationship between news environments and advertiser impact on adults 18 and older, those aged 18 to 34 and those between the ages of 35 to 54.
It found that ads in local TV news positively impact brand perception across audiences, with 37% of adults 18 and older saying that they had a better opinion of brands that advertise in local news (2.2 times those who disagreed the idea) and an even bigger impact among younger viewers.
Nearly half (47%) of those 18 to 34 agreed that they had a better opinion of brands that advertise in local news, 2.8 times those who disagreed.
The study also said that 31% of those younger 18 to 34 viewers were more likely to purchase a product they saw on local news, about 23% more than the 25% who said the ads in local TV news made them less likely to buy a product.
Overall 24% of all adults over 18 said they were more likely to purchase a product advertised in a breaking news story on local TV news, versus 18% who said they were less likely. Among those between the ages of 35 to 54, 25% were more likely to purchase the product versus 15% who were less likely, a 65% differential.
Brands advertising in national TV news also saw an uplift in the number of people being more likely to buy a product.
Among the hard to reach younger 18 to 34 demo, 28% said they were more likely to purchase a product advertised in national TV news, versus 22% who were less likely. Overall 22% of those 18 and older were more likely to purchase versus 16%, and 24% of those between the ages of 35 and 54 were more likely to purchase, versus only 14% being less likely.
