News International appoints Skyron to develop single integrated digital platform for all its media brands

October 8, 2009

B2B website provides single point of contact for media buyers and advertisers for the 1st time, bringing together all media titles

News International Commercial (NIC) has appointed communications agency Skyron to develop a single digital touchpoint for all News International brands to increase awareness of the new division and create a rich communications channel to its clients.

www.nicommercial.com is the first public embodiment of News International’s newly integrated sales organisation and joined-up philosophy and brings together all News International brands under one sales roof. The NIC website will provide media planners, buyers and advertisers with a single point of reference for all News International print and online media titles including The Sun, The Sun Online, The Times, The Times Online, The Sunday Times and News of the World.

Skyron will design, develop, host and support the NIC website, as well as deliver a bespoke content management platform

By adopting a single voice, NIC aims to become a stronger media proposition than the sum of its brands. The NIC website will amplify that voice and set the bar for all future NIC digital communications, focusing on key differentiators such as reach, audience diversity, editorial excellence, creativity, effective integrated solutions and high ROI. The website’s rich content will include detailed information about the brands, their audiences, editors and columnists, client case studies, video testimonials and presentations with engaging motion graphics. It will give media agencies and advertisers all the information they need, right at their fingertips.

A key benefactor of such approach will be the NIC sales teams. The website’s rich media environment, comprehensive content and bold tone of voice will help them to consolidate and further build relationships with their clients.

Sun Online was the first Skyron client in 2003 and the agency has since successfully delivered more than 60 projects for a number of News International divisions since. This latest appointment follows the agency’s long and successful track record with the organisation as well as its broad media industry experience.

Yannis Marcou, managing director of Skyron, comments, “We have a long-standing relationship with News International and its various brands, so we are doubly excited to see this ambitious strategic project through to launch: the first-ever integrated site for all the media titles of News International following its restructure.”

Separately, NIC is announcing an acquisition campaign for the Travel Classifieds section in The Sun and the News of the World. The campaign, created by Skyron, includes a microsite, mailer and e-shot and is launching simultaneously with the B2B site. The microsite will feature a number of rich media presentations some of which will be shared with the NIC website, further strengthening NIC’s single voice market proposition.