“Americans always want to hear from the candidates directly and make up their own minds,” said Mark Penn, Co-Director of the Harvard CAPS / Harris poll and Stagwell Chairman and CEO. “The race is still open, which reinforces why the candidates should be going after the undecided independents, rather than their own bases.”

MOST VOTERS WANT PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES

• 69% of voters say they have made up their minds on who they will vote for; 44% of Independents, 30% of Democrats and 22% of Republicans are still weighing the choices.
• 79% of voters want Biden and Trump to debate each other.
• 71% think the debates should include third-party or independent candidates that clear a viable threshold, such as RFK, Jr.
• 54% think debate microphones should automatically cut off when a speaker’s time elapses (Democrats and Independents: 60% each; Republicans: 44%).

WITH INFLATION AS TOP ISSUE, ECONOMIC OUTLOOK DIVERGES BY RACE

• Inflation is far and away the most important issue to voters personally, 25 points higher than immigration, the second choice.
• 52% of Hispanic voters and 42% of Asian voters say their personal financial situation is getting worse, while 49% of Black voters (a plurality) say their personal financial situation is improving.
• Biden’s approval is 53% among Hispanic voters, 66% among Black voters and 37% among Asian voters.

BIDEN’S ISRAEL POLICY IS UNPOPULAR

• Biden’s job approval on the Israel-Hamas war dropped to 36%, his lowest.
• 57% believe Biden should continue to provide Israel with weapons even if it enters Rafah (Democrats: 48%; Republicans: 64%; Independents: 58%).
• 53% think Biden’s Israel policy is being directed by perceived domestic politics, not just what’s best for U.S. national interest in a safe and secure Israel (Democrats: 38%; Republicans: 65%; Independents: 56%).

MOST AMERICANS SUPPORT APPROPRIATE PUNISHMENTS FOR CAMPUS PROTESTERS

• 79% of voters believe student protesters should be removed from college campuses through detainment or arrest if they become violent or damage university property (ages 18-24: 64%; ages 65+: 92%).
• 78% believe public university officials who choose to discipline these student protesters are taking necessary action to stop public safety threats, not violating their right to free speech and public assembly (ages 18-24: 66%; ages 65+: 90%).

NO FRONTRUNNERS FOR TRUMP VP

• Voters’ top picks for Trump’s VP among politicians who have endorsed him are Ron DeSantis (12%), Tim Scott (9%) and Vivek Ramaswamy (8%).
• Ramaswamy, Scott, and Marco Rubio were the top choices who Republican voters said would make them more likely to vote for Trump.

The May Harvard CAPS / Harris poll survey was conducted online within the United States on May 15-16, 2024, among 1,660 registered voters by The Harris Poll and HarrisX. Follow the Harvard CAPS Harris Poll podcast at https://www.markpennpolls.com/ or on iHeart Radio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast platforms. 

About The Harris Poll & HarrisX

The Harris Poll is a global consulting and market research firm that strives to reveal the authentic values of modern society to inspire leaders to create a better tomorrow. It works with clients in three primary areas: building twenty-first-century corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic media through public relations research. One of the longest-running surveys in the U.S., The Harris Poll has tracked public opinion, motivations, and social sentiment since 1963, and is now part of Stagwell, the challenger holding company built to transform marketing.

HarrisX is a technology-driven market research and data analytics company that conducts multi-method research in the U.S. and over 40 countries around the world on behalf of Fortune 100 companies, public policy institutions, global leaders, NGOs and philanthropic organizations. HarrisX was the most accurate pollster of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

About the Harvard Center for American Political Studies
The Center for American Political Studies (CAPS) is committed to and fosters the interdisciplinary study of U.S. politics.  Governed by a group of political scientists, sociologists, historians, and economists within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University, CAPS drives discussion, research, public outreach, and pedagogy about all aspects of U.S. politics. CAPS encourages cutting-edge research using a variety of methodologies, including historical analysis, social surveys, and formal mathematical modeling, and it often cooperates with other Harvard centers to support research training and encourage cross-national research about the United States in comparative and global contexts. More information at https://caps.gov.harvard.edu/.

CONTACT: 
Sarah Arvizo
pr@stagwellglobal.com 

The announcement comes as Nexxen launches the Nexxen Data Platform, building and expanding upon its proprietary data management platform. The platform provides an enriched ecosystem in which brands can securely and effectively input data of their choosing (first-party, contextual, second-party and more) to augment their audiences with Nexxen’s unique data assets and proprietary applications including contextual audience discovery tools. The availability of automatic content recognition (“ACR”) data through the platform enables advertisers to better understand viewability patterns and optimally allocate spend across linear and digital TV.

Various capabilities of the partnership are made possible through Nexxen’s proprietary unified identity graph. The solution, which will be broadly accessible through the Nexxen Data Platform, will combine and deduplicate multiple identifiers into a merged graph to enable increased scale, frequency capping and better targeting and attribution at the person and household level. The unified graph will also help advertisers address changes in privacy and identity, including cookie deprecation.

“As Stagwell grows our assets and pipeline within the media ecosystem, this partnership with Nexxen is a win-win for clients,” said Mark Penn, chairman and CEO, Stagwell. “Clients of the Stagwell Marketing Cloud can leverage the Nexxen Data Platform, specifically Nexxen’s proprietary identity graph and Stagwell’s clean room capabilities, to effectively maximize their campaigns with unified and comprehensive views of valuable audiences across touchpoints and devices, in a privacy-compliant manner.”

“Emerging technology like the Nexxen Data Platform is enriching advertisers’ knowledge of consumers and improving engagement, enabling a shift from exclusively buying media to buying against audiences, and it is driving better results,” said Ofer Druker, CEO, Nexxen. “Our important partnership with Stagwell brings advanced data solutions to top tier brands around the globe, and will grow in incremental layers of innovation and value as we put data at the core of Nexxen’s strategic roadmap.”

About Stagwell Inc. 
Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) is the challenger network built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world’s most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our specialists in 34+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for their clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com

About Stagwell Marketing Cloud
Stagwell Marketing Cloud (SMC) is a marketing-focused, AI-enablement platform built for the modern marketer. Born out of Stagwell’s (NASDAQ: STGW) network of award-winning marketing agencies, SMC’s technology empowers marketers to drive business impact by giving them intuitive tools equipped with proprietary, actionable data. SMC’s portfolio of solutions powers strategic consumer research, communications, and media activation for brands worldwide by leveraging technology such as generative and predictive artificial intelligence, shared augmented reality, and more. Get your head in the cloud at www.stagwellmarketingcloud.com

About Nexxen 
Nexxen empowers advertisers, agencies, publishers and broadcasters around the world to utilize video and Connected TV in the ways that are most meaningful to them. Comprised of a demand-side platform (DSP), supply-side platform (SSP), ad server and data management platform (DMP), Nexxen delivers a flexible and unified technology stack with advanced and exclusive data at its core. Our robust capabilities span discovery, planning, activation, measurement and optimization – available individually or in combination – all designed to enable our partners to reach their goals, no matter how far-reaching or hyper niche they may be. For more information, visit www.nexxen.com

Nexxen is headquartered in Israel and maintains offices throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia-Pacific, and is traded on the London Stock Exchange (AIM: NEXN) and NASDAQ (NEXN).

More information is available on the Nexxen Data Platform at www.nexxen.com/nexxen-data-platform

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the United States Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are identified by words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “can,” “will,” “estimates,” and other similar expressions. However, these words are not the only way Nexxen identifies forward-looking statements. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including without limitation statements regarding the benefits associated with the Nexxen/Stagwell partnership, and Nexxen’s products and platforms including the Nexxen Data Platform and proprietary identity graph. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause Nexxen’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from its expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following: negative global economic conditions; global conflicts and war, including the current terrorist attacks by Hamas, and the war and hostilities between Israel and Hamas and Israel and Hezbollah, and how those conditions may adversely impact Nexxen’s business, customers, and the markets in which Nexxen competes. Nexxen cautions you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. For a more detailed discussion of these factors, and other factors that could cause actual results to vary materially, interested parties should review the risk factors listed in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (www.sec.gov) on March 6, 2024. Any forward-looking statements made by Nexxen in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release, and Nexxen does not intend to update these forward-looking statements after the date of this press release, except as required by law.

Nexxen, and the Nexxen logo are trademarks of Nexxen International Ltd. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word “partner” or “partnership” in this press release does not mean a legal partner or legal partnership.

Media Contact
Sarah Arvizo
pr@stagwellglobal.com 

Recognizing that news is the foundation of a thriving democracy and a critical marketing vehicle, Stagwell is launching a series of ‘Future of News’ studies and events to fuel discussions on the importance of advertising in news.

Stagwell’s inaugural research for the series examines the concept of brand safety—the measures taken to ensure a brand’s advertisements don’t appear alongside content that could potentially harm that brand’s reputation. Because the current approach to brand safety disproportionately hurts the news industry, Stagwell created a study to determine the real impact of ad adjacency.

The groundbreaking survey reveals that ads placed adjacent to news topics such as politics, inflation and crime perform as effectively as those placed next to business, entertainment and sports stories.

“Our research shows brands shouldn’t fear advertising on news—but rather relish it.  News junkies, who make up 25% of Americans, are one of the most valuable yet under-tapped marketing audiences,” said Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO of  Stagwell. “Instead of feeding the vicious cycle of news demonetization that hurts quality journalism the most, advertisers should kickstart a virtuous cycle of investing in news that allows brands to reach valuable audiences and gives quality news content the financial stability it needs to thrive.”

Additional findings include:

• Among Gen Z, the average purchase intent for brands whose ads were placed next to high-quality news articles on the Middle East conflict was 65%, compared to 66% for inflation and 67% for crime—differences that are statistically insignificant. Purchase intent was 69% for sports (widely considered a ‘safe’ news topic) illustrating a minimal four percentage point difference between the ‘riskiest’ and ‘safest’ topics.
• Among more affluent American households, the average favorability ratings for brands whose ads were placed next to high-quality, yet political news articles on former President Trump and President Biden were each 72%—just two percentage points less than brands whose ads were placed next to a non-political entertainment story.
• Among moms, the average purchase intent for brands whose ads were placed next to articles on inflation (a potentially negative story), and business (a more neutral story) were each 70%, showing no difference between the two. Purchase intent was only two percentage points less for brands whose ads were placed next to a news story about crime with the words “subway shooting” in the title—words that get blocked as a matter of course with today’s brand safety practices.

“Brand safety considerations have become prevalent in the media and marketing industries, but they require serious scientific evaluation and more rigorous metrics to assess whether brands really face dangers from news adjacency,” said Dritan Nesho, CEO of HarrisX, which conducted the study. “Our study shows clearly and repeatedly that ads next to news content that is currently considered ‘not brand safe’ performs on par with ads next to what is currently considered ‘brand safe.'” 

Stagwell is committed to initiating data-driven discussions with advertisers about their investment in news. This topic and more will be discussed at tonight’s inaugural Future of News summit which will be held at Stagwell’s global headquarters in New York.

Interested parties can request a copy of the research here. For additional questions, please contact hello@stagwellglobal.com. 

Methodology

The Future of News Study was conducted among 49,990 U.S. adults from March 29 to April 19, 2024. HarrisX, a Stagwell company, conducted the quantitative survey-based online interviews. The sampling margin of error is +/-0.44% for the total study.

The survey data was weighted to a nationally representative sample of American adults across key demographics, including age, gender, region, race/ethnicity, education, income. Click here to read the full methodology.

About Stagwell
Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) is the challenger network built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world’s most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our 13,000+ specialists in 34+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for their clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com.

About HarrisX
HarrisX is a leading global research consultancy that regularly conducts major market research, public policy polling and social science studies and consulting engagements in more than 40 countries around the world. It is a proud member of Stagwell Global (STGW). Learn more at www.harrisx.com.

Contact:
Kara Gelber
pr@stagwellglobal.com

Plastic plays an essential role in the lives of New Yorkers. About 70% of New Yorkers say plastics make their lives easier, and nearly 60% say they couldn’t imagine a world without them.

“I can’t begin to think of all the single-use plastics that we use, and banning them would eliminate jobs, increase the cost of goods, and make life a lot more difficult for the disabled or elderly,” said a registered voter in the Albany area.

Molecular recycling is a type of material-to-material recycling that can recycle many types of plastic waste that would typically end up in a landfill or incinerator. This type of recycling converts plastic waste back to its building blocks to create brand-new products made from recycled plastic materials with equal or improved quality and performance. The traditional recycling method that is most commonly used today cannot break down or recycle most types of plastic.

After learning more about molecular recycling, over 70% of New Yorkers said they would be bothered if they knew their state representative was working against this new type of recycling. 55% said they would even vote against their state representative in the next election if they knew they were actively working against this new type of recycling. Among registered Democrats, this sentiment is even more pronounced – 63% say they would vote against their state representative.

“I feel the biggest benefit of the new type of recycling is that it is using what would normally be a waste product of the traditional recycling process and not allowing it to go into the landfills,” said a registered voter from the New York City area.

A deeper look at the findings: 

A plastic ban will hurt consumers, including driving up the cost of goods. 

• 65% of New Yorkers said that a plastic ban would increase the cost of their everyday goods, and 45% said a plastic ban would make the purchase of everyday goods logistically more difficult. Over 50% of New Yorkers also responded that a plastic ban would negatively impact people with certain disabilities.

State governments have an important role in helping solve the plastic waste crisis.

• Nearly 70% of New Yorkers wish the state government did more to make plastic recycling easier. This is especially true among African Americans and Hispanics.

New Yorkers want their state legislators to support molecular recycling initiatives; failing to do so could cost them voter support. 

• About half say they would encourage their friends, family, and social media following to vote against representatives actively working against molecular recycling in the next election.

By supporting molecular recycling initiatives, state legislators could be viewed more positively by constituents and win votes.

• About 70% of New Yorkers say that a state legislator who supports this new type of recycling cares more about solving the plastic waste crisis and the environment than one who doesn’t. 66% say they would be more likely to vote for a state legislator who supports this new type of recycling, and about half say they would be more likely to actively campaign for one.

*This study was commissioned by Eastman.

About The Harris Poll
The Harris Poll is a global consulting and market research firm that delivers proven intelligence for transformational times. Responsible for one of the longest-running surveys in the United States, Harris Poll provides unique context and social insights based on having analyzed public opinion, motivations, and social sentiment since 1963. It works with clients in three primary areas: building modern corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and data-driven thought leadership. It is now part of Stagwell, the challenger holding company built to transform marketing.

About Stagwell
Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) is the challenger network built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world’s most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our 13,000+ specialists in 34+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for their clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com.

About Eastman
Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. For more information, visit Eastman.com.

CONTACT: 
Sarah Arvizo
pr@stagwellglobal.com

This summit also marks an occasion to formally debut Stagwell’s new partnership council of U.S. publishers, media buying platforms and social platforms, including Ad Fontes Media, Axel Springer, Axios, Business Insider, POLITICO, The New York Times, The Trade Desk, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. Together, the council will launch a transformative platform to challenge the advertising industry to reinvest in news.

“The Future of News Summit will reframe the conversation by debuting research that illustrates the power of news audiences to drive business and debunks common brand safety myths,” said Stagwell Chairman and CEO Mark Penn. “According to our prior research, 90% of voters think the country should have freedom of the press, and yet news monetization is increasingly under attack. Live at the summit we’ll bring both brand and publisher partners together to discuss ways to navigate this climate and maintain consumer trust.”

Penn will kickoff the program and reveal key findings from the research, followed by two panel discussions featuring journalists and brand leaders who see news as the foundation of a thriving democracy and a critical vehicle for marketing ROI.

Panel I: Being A Journalist Today – Stories from the Field: A moderated conversation about the journalists today who are breaking down barriers, holding truth to power, and shining a light on the issues that matter most- despite the most difficult and dangerous of circumstances, featuring: 

• Hannah Beckler, Business Insider: Beckler is the Senior Editor, Investigations at Business Insider. Most recently, she reported on the eight US state prison systems that deploy patrol dogs to attack and terrorize incarcerated people, for which she received a National Magazine Award.
• Jason Conti, Dow Jones: Conti is the EVP and General Counsel at Dow Jones, publisher of The Wall Street Journal. As general counsel, he oversees the company’s legal department. Conti also leads the company’s legal efforts to secure the release of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been wrongfully detained in Russia for over a year.
• Jason Rezaian, The Washington Post: Rezaian is a writer for Global Opinions. He served as The Post’s correspondent in Tehran from 2012 to 2016. He spent 544 days unjustly imprisoned by Iranian authorities until his release in January 2016. He is a CNN contributor.
• Megan Twohey, The New York Times: Twohey is an investigative reporter at The New York Times whose work has prompted changes to the law, criminal convictions and cultural shifts. Twohey is most known for being one of the journalists who broke the story of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s long pattern of sexual harassment and abuse, which helped ignite the #MeToo movement and shared in the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
• Moderated by Ray Day, Stagwell Vice Chair

Panel II: Why News Works for Brands: Investment in advertising on news platforms is not only brand safe, but also lends itself to a strong return on investment. This session will be an interactive dialogue with business leaders sharing their perspectives on the value of news and how to maximize impact through tailored marketing, featuring:

• Tara Carraro, U.S. Steel: Tara Carraro serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer for U. S. Steel where she is responsible for reputation management and communications strategies designed to help deliver on its Best for All® strategy. She also has executive responsibility for Community Relations and non-governmental Stakeholder Engagement.
• Will Doherty, The Trade Desk: Doherty is the Vice President of Inventory Development at The Trade Desk where he oversees strategic partnerships with publishers which includes legacy media, television networks as well as new and emerging channels. Doherty has been responsible for launching products including OpenPath and championing Unified ID 2.0 amongst the publisher side of digital media.
• Dan Gardner, Code and Theory: Gardner is co-founder of the technology-first creative agency Code and Theory and ON_Discourse, a new membership media company focused on the business of technology, prioritizing expert-driven discourse to drive perspectives.
• Shenan Reed, General Motors: Reed is the Global Chief Media Officer at General Motors. She comes to the automaker following three-and-a-half years as SVP, Head of Media at L’Oréal USA and 20+ years of media agency experience.
• Moderated by Lou Paskalis, Ad Fontes Chief Strategy Officer

Interested parties can request a copy of the research here. For additional questions, please contact hello@stagwellglobal.com

About Stagwell
Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) is the challenger network built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world’s most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our 13,000+ specialists in 34+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for their clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com.

About HarrisX
HarrisX is a leading global research consultancy that regularly conducts major market research, public policy polling and social science studies and consulting engagements in more than 40 countries around the world. It is a proud member of Stagwell Global (STGW). Learn more at www.harrisx.com.