Eurogamer hires Emap to sell lifestyle campaigns

by Media Week, Media Week 11-Sep-07

Website publisher Eurogamer Network is attempting to tap into the valuable stream of online lifestyle advertising, in a move away from its core offering.

The network has hired Emap Advertising to sell lifestyle campaigns on
its websites, which have previously concentrated on attracting gaming
advertisers. Eurogamer Network runs the gaming sites eurogamer.net and

eurogamer.tv and business sites gamesindustry.biz and

mobileindustry.biz.

Eurogamer.net, the publisher's flagship site, attracts more than 1.3
million unique users a month, according to ABC Electronic figures.

Eurogamer Network managing director Rupert Loman said that the move
allows the publisher's in-house sales team to continue concentrating on
gaming ad revenue.

"Eurogamer has done well with gaming advertisers, but we're branching
out without changing the focus of our sales team," he added. "Emap has
all the contacts and experience in place that we couldn't do on our own.
The (Eurogamer) audience is tech-savvy and discerning, and the crossover
between lifestyle and technology is the perfect fit."

The move is also a major step for Emap, which is branching out from
selling across its own portfolio of sites to offer advertisers inventory
on gaming sites for the first time.

Emap is following other media owners including Sky, Orange, Channel 4,
AOL and Yahoo!, through its purchase of BlueLithium, in offering a sales
service to third parties online. Emap has sold advertising on mobile and
has never ruled out extending the reach of its sales team.