NEWS
Zip2Save.com — Online Preprints, Deals, Coupons & More — To Launch October 1
For more information contact Nancy Lane, President, LocalPoint Media, at (843) 390-1531
Site to be launched by LocalPoint Media — owned by 19 community newspaper
companies and Suburban Newspapers of America’s for-profit affiliate SNI, in partnership
with Metroland Media Group
Community newspaper companies from across the United States have joined forces to
launch Zip2Save.com, a comprehensive national aggregation site that will feature
online preprints, coupons, deals, travel specials and more. The site will go live
on October 1.
Media buyers looking to extend their advertising reach will find Zip2Save.com to
be a strategically important addition to their marketing plans. This national site,
searchable down to zip code level, was modeled after the highly successful Canadian
site owned by Metroland Media Group Ltd. — flyerland.ca, and will provide
an affordable way to target consumers that prefer the internet as their method of
delivery for advertising circulars, sales, deals, coupons and more.
"We see Zip2Save.com as an invaluable way to extend our reach for advertisers and
connect them with more consumers” said Kirk Davis, President & COO, GateHouse Media,
and part of the LocalPoint Media ownership group, “Our local newspapers, along with
a locally promoted national online marketplace, will provide our advertisers with
compelling geo-targeting capabilities."
Zip2Save.com will be a nationwide site from the first day of operation. The owners
of LocalPoint Media will heavily promote the site both in print and online, and
will support the site with local advertising sales. More than 1,000 newspapers and
niche products representing more than 6.4 million circulation will participate,
in highly desirable markets including Chicago, Boston, Houston, Dallas, Minneapolis,
Denver, New York/North Jersey, Atlanta, Cleveland, Columbus, Providence and more.
All newspaper companies are invited to join the effort, and the list of markets
with local newspaper partners is expected to grow substantially after this announcement
is made.
“Most major retailers in Canada are running online preprints on flyerland.ca” said
Nancy Lane, President of LocalPoint Media, “Metroland Media Group Ltd., the owner
of flyerland.ca, is one of the most innovative and progressive newspaper companies
in all of North America, and we are proud to partner with them on this exciting
project. They have invested substantially and worked with major advertisers to produce
a site that delivers results for advertisers and provides an excellent experience
for users. Advertisers in the U.S. will benefit from this expertise and the lessons
learned in Canada. And, Metroland is committed to working closely with LocalPoint
Media to help deliver similar success in the U.S. with Zip2Save.com.”
Media buyers will be able to place advertising on the site in a variety of ways
initially, including at the national, multi-state, state, DMA and county levels.
Online preprints can be zoned down to zip code level. National preprint customers
will have their logo appear in promotional ads that will run in over 1,000 newspapers,
niche products and affiliated Web sites to start, with a monthly value of more than
$1 million dollars. And, logos from major preprint advertisers will rotate in a
prominent location on the Zip2Save homepage.
The site expects to steadily grow traffic through contests, search engine marketing,
promotional advertising in newspapers and their Web sites as well as radio, TV and
billboards. Users will be encouraged to register for weekly reminders and will also
be able to choose an update option from their favorite retailers that will provide
them with an alert when a new preprint is posted.
“We (newspapers) play an important role of connecting readers and advertisers. This
will continue electronically with Zip2Save.com, which will reside on the growing
Web sites of publishers as well as a standalone destination” said Chuck Dix, President
of Ohio-based Dix Communications and part of the LocalPoint Media owner sub-committee
that worked on the partnership. “It’s a natural for publishers to fill this void
by joining forces with Zip2Save.com. It also consolidates all the retailers, saving
time for the user, which will be a desired feature. We think publishing groups as
well as readers and users will embrace this, building national brand awareness that
will make this a site of choice.”
Advertisers that are interested in learning more about Zip2Save.com can contact
LocalPoint Media headquarters at (866) 451-5567. Newspapers that are interested
in participating are invited to sign up for free informational webinars scheduled
for August 26 and September 3. To register, call (866) 451-5567 or email your name,
company and contact information to sna@suburban-news.org.
About LocalPoint Media — LocalPoint Media is a national advertising
network that represents community daily and weekly newspapers in the U.S. and Canada.
New advertisers for 2009 include Exxon/Mobil, US Airways, New York Life, Pedigree
Dog Food and CVS’s Minute Clinics. LocalPoint Media is owned by 19 newspaper companies
and Suburban Network, Inc., the for-profit subsidiary of Suburban Newspapers of
America. The following companies have an ownership interest in LocalPoint Media:
American Community Newspapers II, LLC, ASP Westward, LP, Aurora Publishing Company,
Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc., CrossRoadsNews, Inc., Dix Communications, Inc.,
Fayette Publishing, Inc., GateHouse Media, Inc., Holden Landmark Corporation., Mile
High Newspapers, NPG Newspapers, Inc., Packet Publications, Recorder Community Newspapers,
Red Wing Publishing Co., Rhode Island Newspaper Group, Richner Communications, Rust
Communications, Schurz Communications, Inc. and Sun-Times Media Group. Visit www.localpointmedia.com for more information.
About Metroland Media Group Ltd — Metroland is Ontario’s
largest community newspaper publisher with more than 100 community newspapers and
a combined circulation of approximately 4.7 million copies per week. Metroland is
one of the most sophisticated distributors of advertising circulars in Canada delivering
over 3.4 billion pieces each year. Their ability to effectively target the advertising
message has led to 20 years of consecutive growth in preprint volume. They launched
www.flyerland.ca in March
2008 which has emerged as a leader in online preprints in Canada.
Metroland is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. Torstar Corporation
is a broadly based media company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TS.B). Its
businesses include the Star Media Group led by the Toronto Star, Canada’s largest
daily newspaper and digital properties including thestar.com, toronto.com, Wheels.ca,
Workopolis, Olive Media, and eyeReturn; Metroland Media Group, publishers of community
and daily newspapers in Ontario; and Harlequin Enterprises, a leading global publisher
of books for women.