• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, October 17, 2024

With misinformation being widely spread, you might wonder which media channel is the most trusted.  

It’s newspapers, judging by Kantar's new study: Media Reactions 2024. And that trust is especially pronounced among younger consumers.  

Newspapers were ranked as the top channel for both trust and relevancy/usefulness by the respondents overall. They also are the top channel for consumer advertising receptivity. 

That doesn’t mean they’re the most popular channel. Newspapers are second from the bottom in terms of advertising exposure, although they have improved this year over 2023. Magazines are last. 

The top channels for ad exposure are TV, OLV and TV streaming. Video streaming is also highly rated.

However, newspapers are ranked near the pinnacle in terms of ad equity, with a global benchmark of 42. POS is tied for first place with cinema—both have a benchmark of 44.  

Men rate newspapers as first for ad equity. Ad equity is a summary metric based on overall receptivity and attitudes towards media channels and brands. Women listed newspapers as third for ad equity.  

The top media brand for advertising equity? The Wall Street Journal. And the Journal is first for category influencers in 14 out of 15 categories. 

In contrast, X is continuing to fall, with 26% of marketers planning to reduce their ad spend there in 2025.  

Gen Z lists POS, cinema and newspapers among their top five media channels for ad equity. But contrary to what you might think, Boomers ranks newspapers as fifth out of five.

Retail media networks can expect to see increased spend in 2025. And they are #2 in trust.

Kantar’s advice to advertisers?

“Our research shows that 80% of a campaign's impact on brand predisposition comes from only 20% of paid, owned and earned channels,” says Nicole Jones, chief media commercial officer for Kantar. “So, it's good to focus on those which are most powerful for the brand.”

Jones adds, “It's critically important to tailor content to the channel; campaigns that master this contribute 50% more to brand key performance indicators, both in terms of short-term sales and long-term brand equity.”

Kantar surveyed 1,000 marketing professionals and 18,000 consumers across 27 markets worldwide, including 900 consumers n the U.S.