News Corp papers lead first rise in advertising spend for four years

Media agency spending on Australian newspapers has risen for the first time in nearly four years.

Media agency spending on Australian newspapers has risen for the first time in nearly four years.

Newspaper bookings rose 2.7 per cent to $29 million in ­August from a year earlier, the first rise since September 2014. It was led by an 11.1 per cent jump in spending across metropolitan newspapers, according to Standard Media Index.

Bookings were stronger at News Corp Australia, publisher of titles including The Australian and The Advertiser in Adelaide, up 3.3 per cent in August.

Industry body NewsMediaWorks is reinforcing the importance of trusted journalism to advertisers through the launch today of a national advertising campaign.

The Truth Builds Trust campaign will run across print and digital news media in national, metropolitan, regional and community titles. The campaign is supported by Fairfax Media, Seven West Media and News Corp Australia.

“Marketers who were once dogmatic in their approach to Facebook and Google are having a crisis of faith,” said Damian Eales, chief operating officer of publishing at News Corp.

“They’re recognising again the important of brands and the importance of driving consideration from passive audiences. To do that they need mass audience, trusted environments, and influence.

“All strengths of print media,” he said.

NewsMediaWorks chief exe­cutive Peter Miller said the ad growth in newspapers was a “turning point” for the industry.

“I’m confident that we’re not seeing just a little amber and spike; I think we’re seeing the beginning of a real ­return to form.”

John Steedman, executive chairman of media investment management at ad firm WPP AUNZ, said some companies were cutting back their digital ­investment in favour of traditional media, namely news­papers, following concerns about Facebook and Google.

The double-digit ad spending across metropolitan newspapers is driven by retail and gambling companies. Retailers increased their spending by 57.1 per cent to about $1.8 million, while the gambling industry boosted its spending by 563 per cent to $733,000.

Regional newspapers, which have been hit by ­difficult advertising conditions because of the drought, also did well in August, with ad spending up 1 per cent.

The performance was driven by News Corp’s regional unit, which delivered growth of 20.4 per cent. Ad spending across Fairfax’s regional newspapers dropped 12.7 per cent in August.