Watch the Fox News Channel for an hour. You’ll definitely be watching regular commercials for PharmaceuticalGiants and Auto Companies. More and more, you may encounter Anna Brakefield or her father, Mark Jaeger.
“We’re proud to say that 100% of our products are made here in America,” says Jager, who owns and operates Redland cotton in one location, wearing a farmer’s hat and a gray button-down shirt. Brakefield tells viewers in another commercial that all her family fabrics begin with “seeds, hope and prayer on the ground.”
Brake Field says the company is used to reaching customers via digital media and is focused on finding customers online accordingly. “We built it where we use Google Ads, Meta Ads, and it’s usually everything that e-commerce businesses think will increase ads,” she says. But her father, a 60-year-old farmer in northern Alabama, “is a religious Fox News Watcher, so it was his idea to approach Fox about advertising opportunities.” The company tested the commercial on Fox News in 2023, she says. “And to my surprise, it was a success.” Now, Red Land Cotton is trying to maintain a regular presence in “Fox & Friends” and “America’s Newsroom.”
“‘I saw you on TV,” says Brakefield. “It’s still for people.” Now, she and her father are quickly becoming important to Fox News, just like Madison Avenue stubborns like Novo Nordisk and Lowes.
Fox sells ads to many companies that may not run TV commercials in their previous era. The regular Fox News Viewer may have seen the Blue Compass RV spots in recent weeks. Excellent rancher meat distribution service. Boll & Branch Luxury Bedding; or Fire Station Coffee, founded by a former Navy veteran who worked as an Illinois firefighter and paramedic. In some cases, Fox News sales staff have discovered these sponsors by listening to podcasts, watching video programs on social media outlets, and looking for advertisers who could be fond of Fox News audiences. Some people may make all the products in the US. Others may seek a faith-based audience.
The SME commercial said in a recent interview that Trey Gargano, executive vice president of advertising sales at Fox News Media. Since its launch in 2024, Fox News has prioritized finding independent companies that often shine a spotlight on patriotic themes and other elements that could appeal to core audiences, and has lined them up to sponsor their programs. “Sometimes they own veterans. Sometimes the CEOs we know are like-minded and want to reach out to the audience on Fox News,” adds Gargano.
Fox News is not just a TV outlet that thinks small to get bigger. Over the past few years, several media giants have hunted out so-called “SMB” advertisers, or “small-sized businesses.” NBCuniversal said it saw a 30% increase in ad purchases from its “SMB” clients in July. Hulu, now part of Disney, offered the use of “Hulu Ad Manager” in 2020. This led advertisers to spend at least $500 on streamer commercials to launch, manage and track the commercials. Last year, Paramount Global was appointed new Senior Vice President to oversee all efforts related to “SMB Advertising.”
“SMB ads have become even more important as television publishers try to maximize, diversify and increase advertising yields,” said Nikhil Lai, a leading analyst at Forrester, who tracks the advertising industry. “SMB advertisers are saturating search and social, where revenues are declining. They need to look to television because they need to expand their acquisitions without increasing acquisition costs.”
Television networks often chase national television advertisers, but many traditional Madison Avenue categories are in the midst of major changes. Advertising spending from major auto companies has become fluid since the coronavirus pandemic, as manufacturers have struggled with supply chain issues, and how many product lines converting them to electric vehicles, according to executives in various TV ad sales. Beverage manufacturers are tackling consumer desire for healthier fares, and beer and soda sales are waning. And now, one of the most robust ad spending sources on television, pharmaceutical marketers are worried about potential restrictions from the Trump administration, and could run lengthy ads to detail potential side effects. The cost of doing so could spur them more attention to how they use their ad dollars.
At the same time, some of the thriving marketers are startups that nurture online crowds. Today’s digital entrepreneurs could be tomorrow’s Wayfair or Warby Parker, and the leading media companies now want to attack the partnership.
And while Fox News enjoys a prominent surge in ratings in President Trump’s second term, it’s not from immunity from the challenges that all traditional media continue to face. Fox News Channel is projected to see an overall decline in advertising over the next two years, according to estimates from Kagan, a market research firm that is part of S&P Global Intelligence. AD spending on Fox News fell approximately 5% from $1.44 billion in 2024 to about $1.36 billion from the end of 2026. However, Fox News says ad spending is rising in 2025.
Some small advertisers need a personal touch. In some cases, fans will come out to create a pitch directly to the company’s founders, according to Gargano, a sales executive at Fox News. “You go to their homes and ranches. They invite you,” he says. There may be a learning curve as you typically have little experience buying and running TV ads.
The entrepreneur behind Grill Rescue, a grill cleaning tool that relies on steam cleaning rather than wire hair, has been advertising on Fox News Channel for a few weeks. They were primarily stuck with digital advertising, but were intrigued when the boys from McLemore, a father-son cooking duo, had a barbecue during the “Fox & Friends” segment and briefly mentioned their products. Anthony Tranchida, one of the founders, noticed.
“I always believed that the new age of advertising was online,” he says. After launching a TV commercial for Father’s Day, he says, “We spend millions of people on Fox,” and may also consider other TV outlets.
He was impressed by the network’s willingness to contact other small advertisers who had purchased commercial inventory. “I asked them, “You’re asking me to spend quite a bit of money on ads on the network. I’ve never done this before. I want to feel a little relieved,” recalls Tranchida, who occasionally appears in his company ads. “Everyone else said, ‘No, we don’t.’ Fox made it their mission to find someone. ”
He focuses on monitoring the company’s sales channels after television ads are run. “It’s pretty clear whether there’s anything in it,” he says.
While much of the ads are recognized, says Brakefield at Red Land Cotton, what really interests consumers is the occasional appearance of executives at shows like “Fox & Friends” in the lifestyle segment. Of course, such cameos may depend on having a strong relationship with the network. “If there are more segments that can hit, it’s definitely a way to go,” says Tranchida. But “I don’t think they just hand over those things.”
(Photo above: Anna Brakefield, Red Land Cotton, a commercial aired on Fox News Channel)
