AN Digital to centralise ad sales

Campaign 28-Jul-06

Associated Northcliffe Digital is working on plans to create a centralised advertising division that will sell display advertising across its assets.

It aims to make it easier for advertisers to buy ad packages across all
of its websites.

The newly created team will cross-sell display advertising across the
website versions of Associated titles, including the Daily Mail and The

Mail on Sunday. The team will also package together display advertising

across AN Digital's other assets, which include the car websites Auto
Exposure and Carsource.co.uk and the Jobsite recruitment sites.

The new team is thought to be the responsibility of Mar-tin Clarke, the
former launch editor of Standard Lite, who has been working with AN
Digital and its managing director, Andy Hart, on plans to generate
greater revenues from its newspapers' online properties.

Associated has also invested in placing digital specialists within the
sales teams of each national newspaper.

Each head of digital works closely with AN Digital on selling each
title's online offer to advertisers.

AN Digital, which is led by managing director Andy Hart, has been
building its presence outside of newspapers with a series of
acquisitions. The latest was the £17 million purchase of three
websites, including Auto Exposure, early in July.

The division's annual revenues are around £75 million and it runs
on an operating margin higher than that of traditional newspapers at
around 20 per cent.