The News Effect | The Attention Economy: Why News Environments Deliver 6x Higher Brand Recall

EPISODE FOUR //

The Attention Economy

Why News Environments Deliver 6x Higher Brand Recall

Imagine your brand being remembered six times more effectively than it is right now. It sounds extreme, but according to the latest News Nation research by ThinkNewsBrands, it is the direct result of the lean-back behavior unique to news environments. Aimie Rigas, Director of Audience Growth at Nine Publishing, dives into why capturing a reader’s focus is the most valuable investment a brand can make.

Pictured: Aimie Rigas (left) and Ashleigh Thomas (right)

The days of measuring digital success by clicks alone are over. In the age of distracted scrolling, the new gold standard is optimising for audiences with intent. While social media is designed for the "lean-forward" hunt for dopamine, premium news ecosystems are built for a different mindset - one where three in four Australians intentionally slow down.

In the fourth episode of The News Effect series, Ashleigh Thomas sits down with Aimie Rigas to discuss how Nine optimises for focus rather than just traffic, and what that means for advertiser ROI.

The happy accident of engagement

High engagement wasn’t always a digital strategy; it began as a carryover from the deeply immersive experience of print. However, Rigas explains that this "lean-back" behavior is now an intentional part of the digital ecosystem.

“Historically, you picked up a paper and you were really deeply engaged. Now, we are definitely optimising for that engagement and building habit,” Rigas says. “One of the key metrics we use to judge our success is engagement time. Our readers spend minutes pouring over our best stories, not seconds.”

For brands, this extra time is transformative. When a reader slows down to consume a compelling investigation or an interactive feature, the ads surrounding that content benefit from a massive surge in brand recall - clocking in at 6.4x higher than in other digital environments.

The direct-to-brand advantage

A key driver of this high recall is the intent of the audience. Unlike social media users who are fed content by an algorithm, the vast majority of Nine’s audience (70%-80%) comes direct.

“They are actively choosing to engage with our content,” Rigas explains. “They come via newsletters or the homepage, and they stay for Good Food or lifestyle news, but the same journalistic rigor is applied to all of it. There is no ‘fluffy’ section of the site; our journalists write about movies and TV with the same intensity they bring to world politics.”

This intentionality means that when a user sees an ad, they aren't just scrolling past it; they are in a high-attention state, ready to absorb information.

Turning accidental readers into loyalists

While direct traffic is the goal, audience growth often starts on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Rigas’s strategy is to ensure that the transition from social media to the masthead is seamless and honest, avoiding the "clickbait" traps of the past.

“We intentionally are the same brand on all platforms. We don’t go to TikTok and say, ‘Hey kids, we’re the AFR!’” says Rigas. “We build top-of-mind awareness so that when there is breaking news, they choose us first. We balance the experience so that if someone accidentally stumbles across us, it’s such a high-quality experience that it isn’t an accident next time.”

Journalists as the new influencers

Rigas is particularly optimistic about the next generation of readers. While Gen Z identifies strongly with individuals, Rigas sees Nine’s newsrooms as being "full of hundreds of influencers."

By showcasing the faces and the rigorous work behind the stories, Nine is teaching the next generation why they should trust a masthead over a solo content creator. This transparency builds a foundation of trust that brands can then leverage.

The bottom line for brands

In an economy of scarcity, the most valuable thing a brand can buy is a reader's time. By moving away from the "cheap" reach of social media and toward the high-attention environments of premium news, advertisers can ensure their message isn't just seen - it's remembered.