We’re now analysing the results and taking action on what you’ve told us.

New Coverage Guarantee

73% of respondents said that national newspapers guaranteeing to include their brands’ content in the main pages of their publications would be desireable – 18% giving the top rating of 10 for such desirability. Hurst understands the need to reduce the risk of marketing, so guaranteed coverage will now be a key selling point for Hurst Media’s Checklists products. Provided all copy and images pass compliance with codes, specifications and deadlines, Hurst Media will guarantee coverage in the main pages of our trusted media partners with every Checklist order.

More Celebrity Endorsements

61.5% of respondents said that celebrities and influencers endorsing their brand, products &/or services on social media would be desireable – 25% giving the top rating of 10 for such desireability. Hurst Media will introduce more brands to its Celebrity Endorsements service.

More Consumer Data

62.5% of respondents said that gaining thousands of GDPR compliant opted-in email addresses from consumers interested in their brand would be desireables  – 25% giving the top rating of 10 for such desireability. Hurst Media is now increasing the number of competitions it runs for brands, in print, but also with MailOnline, The Sun Online and in the United States via DailyMail.com to deliver new GDPR compliant email data directly to brands’ databases. It is also running email marketing campaigns to our fully opted-in consumer database.

New Strategic Support For Clients

The research results also show that advertisers need more help to promote the brands, products and services. The majority of respondents (53%) do not have a marketing plan and budget for the next 12 months. 11.2% said they specifically want help to agree the marketing opportunities that would work best for their brand. Hurst Media is now offering such strategic advice through free Trusted Media Consultations, as well as a full media planning and buying service available to all companies.

Other than return-on-investment (which is a given) 51.5% said the single most important consideration when buying an advertisement was the relevance of the publication to their target audience. Hurst Media specifically tailors its Checklists to 24 industry sectors in association with its trusted media partners. This enables brands’ to gain the trust of millions by displaying their content in high quality, brand-affirming pages of trusted media titles at a price they can afford.

What’s more, Hurst is now building profiles of all of its trusted media partners to be shared with its clients. This will ensure clients are fully briefed about the relevance and reach of every trusted media opportunity to their brand, products and services.

New Creative Support For Clients

Making the content, copy and image production process as easy as possible was a request from 8.6% of respondents, and 7.8% admitted they needed advice on creating compelling copy and images. A new section on Hurst Media’s website will be built to provide recommendations about how to create and supply content to production departments. This will be enhanced over time. New updates will be first posted in the Hurst Media monthly newsletter.

As it stands, Hurst’s Trusted Media Studio of in-house creatives, copywriters, designers and production controllers provides clients with the specifications required to be presented most effectively. The Trusted Media Studio stands out in the industry for exceptional dynamism, reacting quickly to achieve clients’ objectives, producing publications that appeal to the audiences of 15 national media titles and the commercial interests of 24 diverse vertical markets.

Clients supply the creative assets – including key messages, copy, artwork and other materials – to promote their brand, product or service in the way they know best. On receipt the Trusted Media Studio reviews the creative for relevance to the theme of the publication as well as compliance with the CAP code and the media title’s editorial and advertising guidelines. The Trusted Media Studio then sub-edits and designs each client’s creative assets to match the house style of the chosen trusted media publication. Clients have two rounds of amendments before being provided a final PDF for their final approval.

Survey Still Open

Hurst Media’s constant drive for innovation and improvement means we will keep our research survey open so we can learn about our clients’ specific needs. If you would like Hurst Media to work with you in a different way, please tell us by completing the survey now.