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Brand Visibility 2020

D S S I M O NM E D I A

Brand Visibility 2020Journalist Survey

It’s harder than ever to earn media and break through political coverage to get your brand or spokesperson

featured in a positive news story. What will it take for your organization to become more visible and to be

seen as more authentic in 2020?

We surveyed 366 journalists across television, print, online and radio to find out. This report provides

insight into how the media is using brand content, the role of video in increasing media coverage and

preferences among reporters to increase the chances of your story being covered in a positive way.

Among the key findings:

85% of TV stations and bloggers use brand video

82% of journalists use brand video as produced

When given the choice, 86% of journalists prefer to interview a brand representative than a third-

party spokesperson

83% of journalists said interviewing an in-house spokesperson for a positive story made a brand

more authentic—Nearly twice the number that said that about third-party spokespeople

Only 26% of local news broadcasts in 2020 will be devoted to politics creating a significant

opportunity to reach key audiences

The findings show that by producing their own content, brands are able to get their videos picked up by

broadcasters keeping the message intact. Additionally, there is an opportunity to get an organization’s own

leaders and employees out on media outlets as a tool not only to increase exposure, but to increase

authenticity in the marketplace. Finally, despite what seems like wall-to-wall election covering on

television, there are significant opportunities to book brand executives on local TV news and morning

shows

We welcome your feedback,

Douglas Simon President & CEOE: [email protected] | @DSSimon

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T: 212.736.2727 | C: 917.952.7007

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1. Journalists Are Using Brand VideoTV Stations and Bloggers Use Brand Video

Is the video content you create designed to appeal to journalists and media? If not, you are missing

a significant opportunity to earn media with video. We found 84% of television stations and 85% of

bloggers will air, post or link to video provided by brands. Popular formats for video include

Satellite Media Tours, B-roll, edited packages, sound bites and links.

Radio and Print Media also Use Brand Produced Video Content

The survey found significant use of brand produced video within print media (54%) and on radio

station web sites (66%).

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TV Blogs Average0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%84% 85% 85%

Radio Print Average0%

10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

66%54% 60%

Source: D S Simon Media


82% of Journalists Use Brand Video as Produced

One of the more significant findings is the overwhelming majority (82%) of journalists who use

brand provided video exactly as it was produced. Despite their own production capabilities, nearly

two out of three television stations use the entire video with no editing. This number increased by

11% compared to our previous survey.

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TV Radio Print Blogs Average0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

64%

83%87%

94%

82%


2. Journalists Want In-House Spokespeople

87% Journalists Prefer Interviewing In-House Spokespeople

Over Third Party Spokespeople

Frequently, video-based campaigns for brands include pitching a spokesperson to the media for

interviews. If your goal is to maximize visibility, Brand Visibility 2020 report makes it clear that your

best choice is to use an in-house representative instead of a third-party expert as a campaign

spokesperson. An overwhelming percentage of journalists across all media platforms prefer an in-

house spokesperson when given the choice.

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10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

83% 83%

96%87% 87%

Perc

enta

ge W

ho P

refe

r to

Inte

rvie

w

In-H

ouse

ove

r Thi

rd P

arty

Spo

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e


83% of Journalists Said that In-House Spokespeople Make Brands

Appear More Authentic

Getting a positive story in the media increases brand visibility. According to our report it also

improves how a brand is perceived. Not only does the use of in-house spokespeople increase your

chances of being booked for an interview, it helps make the brand more authentic.

Only 44% of Journalists Felt that Using Third-Party Experts Make Brands Appear More Authentic

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10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

77%86% 89%

81% 83%

Perc

enta

ge W

ho C

onsi

der

In-H

ouse

Spo

kesp

eopl

e Au

then

tic


Nearly twice as many journalists reported that providing an in-house spokesperson for an

interview makes a brand seem more authentic than using a third-party spokesperson. Another

benefit is the fact that your in-house representative generally has a better a content mastery than

a third-party expert. You can leverage your in-house spokesperson as an influencer with a lower

cost than hiring an outside expert.

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10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

54%

35%48%

39% 44%

Perc

enta

ge W

ho C

onsi

der

Third

Par

ty S

poke

speo

ple

Au-

then

tic


76% of Journalists Believe Making a CEO Available to Media Makes a Brand Appear More Authentic

The Brand Visibility 2020 report also looked at the value of making your CEO accessible to the

media when it comes to brand authenticity. The results were significant. This aligns with what we

are seeing in the market as brand partners are increasingly tasking us with booking their CEOs and

senior leaders featured in satellite media tours.

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10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

79% 81% 81%

64%

76%


3. Surprise: Local TV News Isn’t Obsessed with Politics

Breaking through political coverage to get your brand or spokesperson featured in a positive

television news story seems near impossible. But is it? Our Brand Visibility 2020 survey

found local TV news stations plan to devote only 26% of their morning news programs to

political news during the 2020 election cycle. Because local TV news executives understand

that the political junkies in their market will be watching the cable network that aligns with

their political beliefs, they are not putting resources into covering politics to the degree

expected.

Two-thirds of the stations surveyed will spend 25% or less of their newscast on politics during

what is expected to be a historically heated election campaign. This creates a significant

opportunity for brands to place their experts on television through satellite media tours.

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Less than 10%

10-25%

26-50%

51-75%

More than 75%

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

29

38

22

7

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"In 2020, what percentage of your morning newscast will be devoted to political coverage?"

Percentage of RespondentsSource: D S Simon Media

Local TV Stations Barely Covered Politics Post Democratic Debates

The chart above represents the percentage of morning news programs devoted to politics on

various stations the morning after a campaign debate.

The firm found a significant difference between the amount of network and local coverage

through an analysis of political content on TV news following a recent Democratic Presidential

debate. As expected, Fox News, MSNBC and CNN were wall-to-wall political coverage. The

nightly network newscasts devoted 38% of their programs to political coverage. Less than 6% of

all local network affiliate newscasts in New York, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Orlando and Austin

was devoted to political news.

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DMA FOX CBS NBC ABCDMA Average

New York 13.08% 6.81% 6.81% 13.35% 10.01%

Los Angeles 6.81% 4.60% 2.27% 4.54% 4.56%

Milwaukee 3.97% 2.27% 3.41% 3.97% 3.41%

Austin 5.11% 6.25% 4.54% 6.25% 5.54%

Orlando 7.95% 3.97% 2.27% 5.45% 4.91%

Station Average 7.38% 4.78% 3.86% 6.71% 5.68%


Methodology:The Brand Authenticity Survey 2019 includes results from an online survey conducted by D S Simon Media using Survey Monkey, an online survey development software with over 25 million users. We surveyed journalists, including reporters and producers at television stations, radio stations and newspapers as well as bloggers from national, regional and local media in each category. We received 366 responses during a three-month period, of which 101 were surveyed about election coverage on local news stations. All responses were submitted anonymously.

About D S Simon MediaD S Simon Media provides video for journalists and for social media on behalf of brands and non-profits. The most popular offerings include Satellite Media Tours (SMTs), live social media broadcasts, and studio and narrative video production. Both its media tours and social broadcasts are produced from its New York studio or from client’s preferred location.

What’s Your Take?If you have an opinion you want to share, we are happy to interview you for our video blog.Contact: Douglas SimonE: [email protected]: 212.736.2727

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