Auto Trader to give agencies detailed online user data

by Milly Glaister, Media Week 07-Oct-08, 12:00

LONDON - Trader Media Group, the owner of car sales magazine Auto Trader, will be the first media owner to publish an enhanced ABCe certificate for its website, Autotrader.co.uk, which will provide agencies with new data such as users' country of residency.

Digital auditor ABCe launched the new certificate in September, offering digital media owners the opportunity to indicate more detailed data for their web traffic, including which country or UK region users are from, their age, gender and social class, as well as unique user breakdowns.

The traffic data and visitor information, gathered from an on-site survey, has obvious benefits in terms of selling highly targeted advertising space, but Matt Thompson, marketing director at Trader Media Group, also highlighted the value of the enhanced certificate data for media owners looking to improve their product.

Separately, the company is reorganising its online display sales team from sector-specific groups into agency-focused units. Splitting into three teams, Trader Media Group expects the new structure to help it forge a closer relationship with media agencies.

It is the latest sales team to rearrange into agency-focused hubs, with other advocates of the system including News International, after a restructure in July this year.

Alanna Tyminski, who has just arrived from Sky, will be joining Ryan Carter and Al Mottram as online sales managers. Each will head an individual agency account team. Tyminski will primarily be working across the OPera account, Carter will look after GroupM and Mottram will work on Aegis Group.

Trader Media Group, owned by Guardian Media Group and private equity outfit Apax, will hope the new moves boost its commercial performance following a lacklustre set of ABCs during 2007.

Auto Trader's circulation during 2007 averaged 251,252 copies, down 9.6% from 2006.

In February, Auto Trader announced plans to launch five new supplements to broaden its advertiser appeal to women and upmarket readers.

The supplements, each branded Auto Trader Extra, were designed to attract specific key audiences, including 25 to 34-year-old females, 25 to 44-year-old male motoring enthusiasts, 45-year-olds with families and 45 to 65-year-old high-income earners.