Press release

• Study confirms: Advertising impact arises from context and builds up over multiple touchpoints
• High-quality journalistic media enhance campaign performance and ensure a lasting advertising impact
• Display, print and digital storytelling combined achieve the strongest effects

Düsseldorf, 26 February 2026. The new study “Reputation Impact 2 – the Synergy Effect (RISE)”, commissioned by REPUBLIC, iq media and iq digital, shows that advertising impact is more than just reach and frequency. The context in which communication takes place is crucial. The results demonstrate that high-quality journalistic media not only amplify advertising effects but also build them up sustainably across multiple touchpoints.

High-quality media environments boost advertising impact in the long term

The study shows that advertising effects in high-quality journalistic environments build on one another. Earlier advertising exposures reinforce the impact of subsequent exposures and ensure sustained campaign success. The study describes this mechanism as the ‘RISE effect’. Across all the brands studied, advertising in high-quality journalistic media achieves better results than in unbranded comparative contexts. The impact is particularly strong when display advertising is combined with print exposure and digital storytelling.

Greater interest, better recall, greater impact

As well as having a positive impact on purchase intent and advertising perception, high-quality media environments also encourage deeper engagement with brands and products. Print and digital storytelling, in particular, boost product interest, recall and content retention significantly more than display adverts alone.

Key insights for media planning

The study makes it clear that advertising impact is not determined solely by the number of impressions, but by the quality of the context. High-quality journalistic media act as impact amplifiers and lay the foundations for sustainable brand communication and successful campaigns.

About iq digital:

iq digital media marketing gmbh is the exclusive marketing agency for leading media outlets in Germany. Its portfolio comprises high-calibre media in the areas of general news, business & finance, specialist media and millennials. Websites such as FAZ.NET, Handelsblatt Online, DER SPIEGEL, Süddeutsche Zeitung, DIE ZEIT, WirtschaftsWoche Online, manager magazin, Harvard Business Manager and Der Tagesspiegel keep decision-makers informed on all relevant topics every day. Based in Düsseldorf, iq digital – a joint venture between FAZ Verlag, Handelsblatt Media Group, Süddeutsche Zeitung Verlag and ZEIT Verlag – offers both extensive reach in the news and business/finance sectors and special-interest offerings designed to target specific audiences. With a total digital reach of 32.9 million* unique digital users, iq digital is one of the leading marketers of high-quality digital media and media brands.

*Source: agma DNA, net reach / February 2025

Press contact:

Simone Lopez Sanchez
simone.lopezsanchez@iqdigital.de
iq digital media marketing gmbh
Toulouser Allee 27
40211 Düsseldorf

Press release