GMTI, ADP to Introduce Auto Advertising Multimedia System
CINCINNATI — The $2.6 billion newspaper automotive advertising business is joining the electronic commerce industry in the virtual marketplace. The manual process of creating, managing and delivering automotive newspaper ads, which accounts for about half of all newspaper classified advertising revenues, is soon to be transformed by new collaborative multimedia technology from Gannett, the nation’s largest newspaper company, and Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP), one of the largest automotive computing services firms in the world.
Gannett Media Technologies International (GMTI), the software development unit of Gannett Co., Inc., and ADP’s Dealer Services Group, announced today a letter of intent to introduce a new automated system that will enable dealers to manage inventory to produce advertising and marketing campaigns electronically. The system will provide dealers with seamless links to a variety of media for delivering ads to newspapers, photo magazines, broadcast organizations, audiotext/faxback services and Internet services.
Under the terms of the agreement, ADP and GMTI will market two complementary solutions to auto dealers and media businesses, respectively. ADP will provide auto dealers with ADP Marketing Advisor, a turnkey system based on GMTI’s Celebro relational database technology, for managing inventory, advertising, promotion and electronic commerce. GMTI will market host server systems through its MediaPartners program to selected media businsses, including newspapers and advertising agencies.
Using ADP Marketing Advisor for print advertising, such as newspaper ads or photo books, customizable ad templates will be available that allow dealers to automatically flow their selected inventory into the ad, complete with photos and graphics in place. After the ad is proofread electronically, it will then be transmitted via modem or Internet connection to media partners for placement.
ADP plans to introduce ADP Marketing Advisor to selected dealers in several U.S. cities beginning in August, with a full nationwide rollout in early 1998. Additional features planned for the system include the ability for participating media partners to link electronically with dealers to provide real-time order entry, billing and account status information.
According to Daniel Zito, president and CEO of Gannett Media Technologies International, “We are pleased to announce this strategic relationship with ADP, the premier provider of services to auto dealers. As the nation’s largest newspaper company, Gannett appreciates the trust auto dealers have placed in our newspapers to deliver their message in a timely and compelling manner. Through our MediaPartners program, newspapers and other media businesses using ADP Marketing Advisor will improve their relationship with advertisers, gain the ability to launch new products, build revenue and reduce production costs.”
Peter M. Leger, president of ADP Dealer Services Group, in making today’s announcement said, “In today’s competitive auto retailing environment, dealers are looking for tools to make it easier for potential buyers to do business with them. This technology does that and more, by providing the dealer with a comperehensive marketing and media management system. We are truly excited by this opportunity to help our customers grow their businesses.”
Gannett Media Technologies International (GMTI), a subsidiary of Gannett Co., Inc., is a leading developer of software solutions for the printing, publishing and new media industries. GMTI products are engineered to increase revenues, reduce operating costs and position businesses for the future. Information about GMTI and its products can be accessed on the World Wide Web at https://www.gmti.com.
Gannett is a nationwide news and information company that publishes 89 daily newspapers, including USA TODAY, and USA WEEKEND, a newspaper magazine. Gannett also operates 18 television stations, five radio stations, cable television systems in five states and alarm security services.
ADP Dealer Services Group provides turnkey systems to more than 18,000 auto and truck dealers throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and Latin America. ADP Dealer Services Group is the third-largest business unit of Automatic Data Processing, Inc., which, with more than $4 billion in annual revenue and more than 400,000 clients, is one of the largest independent computing services firms in the world.
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Contacts:
Kurt W. Dressel
Gannett Media Technologies International
(800) 801-3771
kdressel@gmti.gannett.com
Andy Vogel
ADP Dealer Services Group
(847) 397-1700
avogel@autoconnect.net
Rowan Benecke
Edelman Worldwide
(312) 240-3000
rbenecke@edelman.com