NewsBrands Ireland held their annual Engage event for the news publishing and advertising community on Tuesday, May 30th in the Morrison Hotel. Attended by over 130 media professionals, the event showcased how print and digital newsbrands can be used effectively by advertisers to reach and connect with their audiences.

Among the key takeaways were:

Christine Matthews, Head of TGI Ireland, presented their latest audience data which shows that print and digital news brands reach 82% of Irish adults every week.

Journalism produced by news publishers is the First Port of Call for those seeking news – 82% go to a print or online news title for news, while 64% go to TV for news; 61% go radio; and 54% go to social media for news.  See more details here

Sorcha Garduce, Insight Partner with Newsworks, presented findings from their latest research with effectiveness expert Peter Field which found that campaigns which include news brands are more effective than campaigns that don’t include news brands, because news brands increase the brand trust and brand quality of advertised brands. See full presentation here

Melissa Byrne, Head of Media Sky Ireland, discussed how her brand use multiplatform news brands as part of their award-winning campaigns. See highlights here

Fiona Field, MD of OMD Ireland, moderated a discussion on journalism’s role in society, with Elaine Loughlin, Political Editor, Irish Examiner, Neil Leslie, Editor Irish Daily Star, and Robert Cox, Editor, Irish Mail on Sunday. Among the items discussed were how news publishers build trust and credibility with readers, the role of political journalism in holding power to account, and how AI will affect journalism. The panel also recalled the Daily’s Star’s ‘Lizzie the Lettuce’ campaign which was remembered as political satire at its very best!

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