MEDIA

EUROPE: UK MEDIA TARGETING LOCAL MARKETS

In a speech to the UK Newspaper Society's Home Truths conference Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP, highlighted the importance of local media to individual decision making. He stated that most decisions that individuals make that are relevant to their lives are made within a radius of 15 to 30 miles of the home. He argued that ITV's acquisition of Friends Reunited and the creation of Local Google were examples of the recognition by national and international media companies of the importance of the need of advertisers to target consumers at the local level. In a speech to the same conference Tim Bowdler, CEO of Johnston Press, argued that the growing diversity of media delivery channels increases the difficulty for advertisers in targeting specific groups at a national level. He stated that the local media sector had enhanced their reach by investing in digital outlets. Over 600 websites, the vast majority associated with print media, had been developed to enhance the ability of advertisers to target specific communities.