Stagwell Invests in Pollster and Publisher Real Clear

Marcoms challenger Stagwell has invested in Real Clear Holdings LLC - the publisher of RCP Poll Averages, news publication RealClearPolitics, and twelve other news and analysis sites - taking a 35% stake in the company.

Stagwell is the owner of the Harris Poll and Harris X brands, and of media monitoring firm UNICEPTA. It has recently retired the separate brand of Maru Group - which it acquired in 2022, rebranding it as Harris Poll UK. In recent years the ad agency group has invested substantially in integrating and building the services of these insights subsidiaries, including through the launch of the Harris Quest Research Suite.

The group recently launched an initiative called Future of News (www.stagwellglobal.com/future-of-news ), which aims to support news brands and 'reinvigorate the relationship between news and marketing'. The RealClear investment is part of this drive, and of the group's expanding interest in owned media platforms, which includes ReachTV, and Stagwell says its clients will benefit from RealClear's audience, op-ed aggregation and polling capabilities.

'This investment reinforces our conviction that quality news has the power to drive meaningful business results,' states Chairman and CEO Mark Penn (pictured). 'Championing quality news and opinion media isn't just good for us; it's good for every business.'

John McIntyre, co-founder and CEO of Real Clear Holdings LLC comments: 'As RealClear has collaborated with Stagwell, I am continuously impressed by its breadth, integrity, and focus on quality. Expanding our partnership will deliver strong benefits for our respective audiences and stakeholders.'

Web sites: www.stagwellglobal.com and www.realclearmediagroup.com .