This article first appeared in Campaign.
Media planners are using trusted editorial brands to protect brand safety and turn quality over quantity into a winning ROI strategy.
Do you trust everything you see online? With AI-generated content increasingly saturating social feeds, concerns over misinformation and bias are rising. A 2025 Accenture survey found that 59% of consumers are increasingly questioning the authenticity of online content. This environment creates a real challenge for brands looking to cut through the noise and establish authentic relationships built on trust.
The solution? Media planners should place trusted editorial brands at the centre of campaigns, with the survey revealing that 62% say trust is an important factor in choosing to engage with a brand, up from 56% last year. Trusted editorial environments, such as multi-platform magazine brands, are credible and authoritative sources of expertise for readers. Last year, Ofcom research found an increase in how readers rate traditional editorial platforms for accuracy, trust and impartiality, up from six in 10 in 2018 to seven in 10 in 2025.
So, how can media planners establish the right partnerships with the right editorial brands, iron out pain points and capitalise on editorial opportunities? We spoke to three planners to find out.
The new landscape: welcome to editorial’s next chapter
Trusted editorial brands deliver high-quality attention in the moments that matter. Whether someone’s researching a car purchase, looking for credible health information, or wanting to buy new trainers, these publications attract engaged audiences who actually want to be there and are actively seeking out content they can trust.
Launched in January during MediaWeek Live with PPA’s backing, Atria is a consortium of six magazine publishers (Bauer, Future, Hearst UK, Hello!, Immediate and Time Out) together on one single platform. Using first-party data to optimise audiences, it allows agencies and advertisers to access trusted editorial environments and premium audiences at scale, so they know that their campaigns are delivered in the right context and to the right audience.
“Trusted editorial brands play a more important role today than they did five or 10 years ago, though the reason has shifted,” says Daelin Mackey, media director, integrated media, at True Media. “As consumers are increasingly inundated with algorithmic, user-generated and low-quality content, trusted publications have become signals of credibility, authority and intent.”
Mackey continues: “We’ve seen strong success when trusted editorial brands play a central role in integrated strategies. For example, a retail brand using contextual editorial placements to reinforce quality and credibility, supporting stronger engagement and downstream performance.”
While digital has become dominant over the last 15 years, publishers have used this to their advantage by building strong digital platforms alongside their trusted print magazine. This offers the scope and adaptability modern campaigns demand, often backed by hard-won reputations. “These brands offer high-quality environments that attract affluent, engaged audiences who actively seek out credible content,” says Jessica Spilman, senior media planner and buyer at Park & Battery. “Publications that operate across both digital and print now provide greater inventory and flexibility, while maintaining the trust they’ve built over decades.”
Opportunities: overcoming common challenges
From exclusives to expertise, trusted editorial magazines deliver a blend of unequalled cultural relevance, credibility, responsibility and accountability that digital often can’t match.
“Trusted editorial matters; it gives brands a way to show up with credibility, in the right context,” says Lizzy Wade, business director at Mediahub Worldwide, who adds that legacy media titles remain valued signifiers of assurance and consequence: “A Vogue takeover still signals something.”
However, planners often find there is a gap between brands’ perceptions of trusted editorial publications and the reality. “One common misconception is that editorial placements are expensive without measurable impact,” says Spilman.
“Premium environments offer unmatched credibility and leadership positioning. When executed well, editorial partnerships can significantly elevate brand perception and awareness, and when trust is established, partners become more invested in our clients’ success.”
So, how do media planners convince a brand of the reality, rather than the perception? It’s all in the framing. Wade believes that editorial ultimately delivers more value than impressions on a social feed. “Not all impressions are equal,” she says. “Editorial environments still bring weight and credibility you can’t replicate in a feed scroll. Being close to the content and the point of view of the publisher shapes how people see you.”
Another persistent myth is that choosing editorial quality means sacrificing reach. However, because today’s publishers have significantly expanded their digital footprints, the reality is that reach and quality are increasingly found in the same place. “Strong editorial content, especially when it’s made to entertain rather than sell, can travel far organically,” says Wade.
Opportunities: brand safety and authentic connections
In an era when social media platforms have evolved into environments where extreme and unverified content has thrived, trusted editorial platforms have built their reputations through consistent quality control. This makes them a safer bet for protecting brand reputation.
“Editorial brands excel in brand safety, credibility and contextual relevance,” says Spilman. “From a planning perspective, this reduces risk. We know ads will appear in safe, relevant environments aligned with our clients’ values.”
In this safe environment, trusted editorial brands open the door to audiences who are actively – rather than passively – engaging with their passions. “You’re not just getting premium positioning; you’re aligning with voices and communities that carry real influence,” says Wade.
“That matters even more for challenger brands trying to punch above their weight or shift perceptions quickly. If you care about cultural impact and showing up in the right way, trusted editorial plays a critical role in the mix.
With consumers far more media-savvy than they once were, trusted editorial brands are ideally placed to be the best of all worlds: prioritising quality over quantity in a brand-safe environment while delivering reach.
“Over the next two to four years, editorial brands will remain trusted sources while continuing to evolve digitally,” says Spilman. “Their deep audience insights will enable them to develop new formats and partnerships aligned with changing consumer behaviours.”
Learn more about unlocking the power of trusted editorial brands and quality audiences with PPA Magnetic
Four ways media planners and trusted editorial brands can support each other
• Editorial brands know their audience: “What media planners really want is to understand what makes your platform culturally relevant right now and how a brand can tap into that in a way that feels native. Editorial partners have a real role to play in helping brands cut through the noise by creating the kind of distinctive, credible moments that people actually care about. That’s where the real value is.” Lizzy Wade
• Editorial brands are investing to stay ahead: “Over the next few years trusted editorial brands will become even more critical as privacy changes and signal loss push the industry toward contextual intelligence and quality attention. Publishers that invest in measurement innovation, flexible partnerships and deeper collaboration with agencies will be best positioned to succeed.” Daelin Mackey
• Collaboration delivers results: “We continue to be impressed by innovative formats such as homepage takeovers, editorial interviews, front-page placements and interactive content hubs. These high-impact executions position clients as industry leaders and consistently deliver strong results.” Jessica Spilman
• Timing is key: “Too often, we start thinking about partnerships too late in the process. Editorial brands work best when they’re brought in early and are treated as creative partners, not just a media line item. The end result usually delivers more impact because it’s been shaped with care from the start.” Lizzy Wade
