Podcast Summary: Why The Economist Is An AI Outlier

AdExchanger Talks with Nada Arnot, EVP of Marketing at The Economist
Date: December 9, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode explores how The Economist, a 182-year-old legacy publisher, is navigating the disruptive world of AI, changing media consumption habits, and the shifting sands of brand and performance marketing in publishing. Host Alison Schiff interviews Nada Arnot, EVP of Marketing at The Economist, unpacking brand strategy, measurement, AI’s impact, engagement techniques, and the publisher’s foray into premium video programming.

Key Discussion Points

Nada Arnot’s Career Path & Sell Side Marketing (04:02–07:09)

• From Policy to Marketing: Nada began as a Canadian government policy strategist before pivoting to digital marketing after moving to NYC.
  • Early blogging (2004) and digital search marketing laid her foundation.
  • "I was able to own the strategy and the execution and the results, for better or worse. End to end. I really get a high off of building businesses and driving success and the grit that comes along with it." – Nada Arnot [06:37–06:56]
• Media Growth Roles: From NBC to BritBox to The Economist, her ethos is blending brand and performance, with an entrepreneurial mindset regardless of company size.

Balancing Brand & Performance: Making the Case for Brand Spend (09:43–14:47)

• Brand as Revenue Engine: Nada frames brand marketing as a revenue driver, not just a cost center.
  • "I approach even brand marketing, things that are notoriously difficult to measure, with a measurement lens, if you will." – Nada Arnot [11:53]
• Measurement Approach:
  • Tracks brand health KPIs (awareness, consideration, familiarity, monthly usage).
  • Heavy creative testing to reach core and new (younger, female) audiences.
  • Rigorous ROI, using brand lift, incrementality measurement, and media mix modeling.
  • Recurring six-monthly measurement and reporting to C-suite for transparency and accountability.

The Economist’s First Major Brand Campaign in a Decade (14:47–18:13)

• “Know Which Way Is Up”: The campaign positions The Economist as a thoughtful guide through chaos, deploying an omnichannel approach (TV, out-of-home, social, digital video, radio).
• Programmatic Choices: Less focus on programmatic—out-of-home and TV are seen as premium signals, less prone to “drowning out.”
  • "There is this part of the human brain... you perceive a brand to be more premium if you see a billboard for them in Times Square." – Nada Arnot [15:35]
• Serendipitous Impact: Billboards in places like Times Square appear in photos/social posts, creating organic, premium brand moments.

Brand Strategy: Staying True & Resisting Chasing Trends (17:59–21:41)

• Distinct Positioning: The Economist avoids being a breaking news outlet, instead offering deeper, considered analysis.
• Brand Voice: Commitment to intellectual, witty, and slightly “sassy” DNA—never being trend-chasers (“We don’t want to be that brand that is trying to chase a trend... disingenuine to who we are.” – [19:24]).
• Audience Expansion: Focused on core (55+) influential readers and broadening appeal to younger, more diverse demographics without diluting core value.

Why So Many Publisher Brand Campaigns Now? AI, Trust, & Traffic (21:41–24:16)

• AI Disruption: Publishers are being "disintermediated by LLMs" and seeing fractured relationships with audiences due to AI, search, and social fragmentation.
  • "That small little whisper of an attribution in ChatGPT will not make a brand." – Nada Arnot [23:25]
• Affirming Credibility: Brand marketing campaigns reaffirm trust and identity in an era of misinformation and declining direct traffic.

Engaging Subscribers Beyond the Subscription (28:20–31:38)

• The “Unread Stack” Problem: Many subscribers (including the host) fail to read print editions despite best intentions.
• Multi-format Engagement: The Economist offers podcasts, narrated articles, short/long form, newsletters, and an app to fit consumption habits.
  • "We’ve created formats of our content that suit multiple different consumption patterns... all about letting people understand that those formats are available and this is how you can fit it into your day." – Nada Arnot [29:38–31:06]
• Product Design: App redesign supports both leisurely weekend and day-to-day reading/listening routines, driving habitual engagement.

The Launch & Strategy Behind Economist Insider: Premium Video (32:02–37:19)

• Insider Product: Live and on-demand premium video, featuring editors debating weekly topics—offers “face” and personality to a byline-free newsroom.
• Differentiation:
  • Leans on editorial credibility, unique access to internal debates.
  • Not competing as a streaming service, but as a new format for engagement.
  • "There is almost like a secret sauce right there that you just can’t compete on that type of quality and unique flavor of journalism." – Nada Arnot [34:56]
• Audience Involvement: Audiences can submit questions; debate is unscripted, fostering authenticity and connection.

Viral Moments & Social Amplification (37:33–39:43)

• Steve Bannon Interview Example: Viral Insider content (e.g., Steve Bannon predicting Trump wins) used not for subscription churn, but to drive engagement/awareness.
  • Paid social clips are branded and distributed, with CTAs to the app or website.
  • "We’re actually not trying to drive subscriptions off the back of those videos. We’re trying to drive engagement and awareness that this product exists." – Nada Arnot [38:14]

AI, LLMs & Publisher Adaptation (39:49–46:11)

• Ethical Sponsorship: Economist Insider is supported by Claude (Anthropic) but maintains editorial independence; no formal content licensing deals with LLMs.
  • "We will look at an issue from every angle and come out on one side or the other. Not because we’re getting ad dollars for it or because we’re being influenced in any way." – [41:10]
• LLM Traffic Impact: Experiments show the value exchange is weak: “60,000 crawls of content returns one click back.” (42:41)
• Zero Click Era Strategy: Focus more on brand marketing to offset referral losses. Not rushing LLM/content partnerships until reciprocal value is clearer.
  • "You get that whisper of a mention. So is it even worth being there?" – [42:09]
• Formats with Value: Investment in formats (video, podcasts, print) that offer unique consumer value not possible via LLM summaries.

Views on LLM Licensing (46:11–47:32)

• Skepticism Toward Publisher Deals: Nada worries publishers are making “deal with the devil” arrangements with LLMs, trading strong brand-presence for short-term gains with little return.
  • "I do worry that some of those decisions were made a little bit in haste because they were seeing a complete fall off of a cliff." – Nada Arnot [47:04]
  • "We've gone from trading dollars for pennies for half pennies or something." – Alison Schiff [47:32]

The “If Money Were No Object” Dream (47:45–48:47)

• Ultimate Wish: Nada would love to stage a global, premium Economist events tour—highly engaging, high-impact, community-building experiences.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "I personally don’t think you can just do brand without understanding the revenue-generating bits. And you can’t just do the revenue-generating bits... without understanding brand. When you bring those two together, you have your strong engine." – Nada Arnot [09:39]
• "We’re not trying to be the next streaming service. We are just creating a format that if you want to sit back and actually listen to the debate, you can do it." – Nada Arnot [35:21]
• On AI/LLM referral value: "You get ... something like 60,000 crawls of content returns one click back. So the value exchange just isn’t there." – Nada Arnot [42:41]
• "We don’t want to be that brand that is trying to chase a trend... disingenuine to who we are. So... we want to remain true to ourselves, true to our DNA, which is very considered and intellectual, but with wit and a little bit of sass." – Nada Arnot [19:24–19:44]
• "Events also have made their comeback and people appreciate it. People appreciate swag, they appreciate physical vinyl, ... some intrinsic value... resonates deep inside our human soul." – Nada Arnot [45:07]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Introductions & Nada’s Backstory: 02:11–07:09
• Brand vs Performance/Measurement: 09:39–14:47
• Brand Campaign Tactics: 14:47–18:13
• Brand Strategy & Audience: 17:59–21:41
• Publisher Brand Campaigns & AI Disruption: 21:41–24:16
• Subscriber Engagement Formats: 28:20–31:38
• Insider Premium Video Product: 32:02–37:19
• Viral Moments & Social Use: 37:33–39:43
• LLMs, Content Licensing, and Strategy: 39:49–47:32
• Unlimited Budget Dream: 47:45–48:47

Tone and Language

Nada Arnot is candid, strategic, entrepreneurial, and occasionally self-deprecating, never shying away from complexity or challenge. Host Alison Schiff is enthusiastic, curious, and conversational, grounding the high-level discussion with relatable personal anecdotes.

Conclusion

This episode provides a masterclass in publisher brand strategy amid digital disruption and AI upheaval. Nada Arnot shows why The Economist is an “AI outlier”—using rigorous measurement, a holistic content mindset, and unwavering commitment to the brand’s core identity to stay relevant, respected, and profitable in a world of generative search, fragmented audiences, and industry upheaval.