Newsquest Signs for AdPortal with Wave2

Following a successful pilot exercise, Newsquest (London) has become the latest UK publisher to join the Wave2 AdPortal community. Publicly being promoted as AdMaker across the company’s London region, this will be Newsquest’s first self-service display ad solution focussed towards their trade customers.

Newsquest (London) is one of Wave2’s first customers to utilise a cloud based software solution. This interpretation of Wave2’s AdPortal software is directed at small businesses that don’t want the expense of utilising an ad agency to create a promotional campaign. Instead, the web based solution guides a customer through the ad creation process, offering template based solutions. Wave2’s AdPortal software provides the platform for advertisers to build, book and manage their own advertisements and campaigns.

The newspaper publishers own on-line video guide to using Ad Maker follows the process for creating both on-the-page and on-line adverts, and explains the system in detail. The video presentation can be found at: www.adportal.bucksfreepress.co.uk

The video follows the process through for both print and on-line ads, beginning with maps detailing the areas that your ad might cover; the customer then selects a business type and size of ad; existing templates can then be used to create an ad, or the customer can upload existing artwork; utilising the template, copy can be changed on-line, and proofs viewed and approved; dates for ad insertion are selected; and payment is made, with payment methods available including PayPal, Sage Pay, WorldPay, and credit card.

Commenting on why Newsquest (London) has selected Wave2 technology for its selfservice solution, Andrew Haggerty, Sales Director of Wave2, said: “Newsquest’s US owners, Gannett, had worked with our Wave2 products in America and were more than happy to make recommendations to other group companies. Following a trial, the company has now signed a twelve month contract to buy Wave2’s services via our cloud based server offering.

We wish them every success with the London region Ad Maker project and hope to see further adoption throughout the group.

“Newsquest has been very complimentary with regard to the continuous development of the Ad Portal system. At Wave2 we consider it critical to work closely with the local publishers to ensure not only that the advertiser experiences the simplest process for creating and booking advertising campaigns, but that we also provide the highest levels of customer support at all times.”

Newsquest (London) is using Wave2 products via a cloud based server system run by Wave2 partner, Claranet. Commenting on Wave2’s move to hosted services, Managing Director Chris Hodges said: “Hosted services are the way forward for a significant number of businesses in our target markets. Such a solution means all of the benefits of the Wave2 software product are available to our customers from day one for the payment of a fixed monthly fee, rather than a significant up-front capital expenditure. These initial savings are then multiplied by the fact that the customer doesn’t need to purchase additional computer hardware to run the system, or employ IT specialists to manage and run that equipment.”

About Newsquest

Newsquest is one of the UK’s largest regional newspaper publishers with more than 200 newspapers, magazines and trade publications, including 17 paid-for dailies. The company’s publications have a weekly circulation of approximately 10 million copies.