Midland News Association, publishers of Britain’s biggest regional newspaper, have partnered with Scandinavian company Adicate to deliver online display advertising by the hour.

First in the UK to employ this solution, MNA is offering this revolutionary method of buying online advertising space to advertisers on its websites shropshirestar.com and expressandstar.com

This fresh approach to online advertising comes at a time when the publishing industry is challenged with the reality of advertising revenues that are shrinking as a result of the difficult economic climate.

The new service is expected to attract a wide number of advertisers looking for accountable ROI in the face of smaller advertising budgets.

With a successful track record in the Scandinavian publishing sector, the Adicate Time Ads solution allows MNA advertisers to seamlessly create their own advertisement online, select the time of day and days of the week they would like their advertisement to appear, and then pay via the secure payment gateway. 

The ad is then approved by the MNA via the administration area. Once this has been done, the customer’s ad is cleared to appear on the MNA websites.

William Beavis, New Media Marketing Manager at MNA believes that advertisers will relish the chance to try out the new ad booking solution.

“For an entry point at only £2 per hour, an advertiser, no matter how small, can now see for themselves just how effective advertising on our websites can be.” 

MNA expects the idea of booking ads by the hour to appeal to businesses whose trade fluctuates throughout the course of the day.

William Beavis explains: “Imagine you own a restaurant, and you know that Tuesday lunchtimes and Thursday evenings are often your quietest times of the week.

“By booking an ad on shropshirestar.com to appear between 10am and 12pm on Tuesdays and 4pm and 6pm on Thursdays, you can now reach an audience with a special offer at a time when they are beginning to think about what they will be having for lunch or dinner that same day – what other solution can provide time sensitive advertising at such short notice?”

Adicate’s UK business development Manager Gary Young says the uniqueness of Adicate’s service is in providing a process where ads are created on the fly, and only charged by the hour. 

He said: “We are challenging the boundaries of online advertising within the UK publishing industry by delivering a solution that has never been seen before.”

Advertisers also get their own user name and login for access to a dedicated area where they can track how many times their ad has been shown and how often a user has clicked through to their site.

• For further information and to place an add, click here