Situation:
Being part of the Morris family of newspapers, the online version of the Savannah
Morning News has the freedom to apply any of Morris DigitalWorks' classified
and editorial products. Over the past years, Savannahnow.com has
become one of the company's flagship newspaper Web sites.
Approach: Morris DigitalWorks' mdClassifieds serves
newspapers' online classifieds, especially 'Top Ads'. MDW's mdDisplay places
the ability to extract and post display ads and special sections
online in the hands of the New Media Director's team. Special
sections are ready to go online in one to three hours depending
on size and detail of the section. Display ads and special sections
are an increasingly large source of online revenue, especially
in Real Estate and Autos.
Mark Swendra, New Media Director for Savannahnow.com, says, "Our ability to respond to market opportunities is in large part due to the flexible and powerful tools built by Morris DigitalWorks. Once they had the sales kinks worked out it was a technical 'no-brainer' to use the tools due to the low cost/hours ratio and the fact that it doesn't tax the New Media IT staff."Savannahnow.com is published daily with SiteWeaver, MDW's content management tool, and features mdCalendar for local events.
Outcome: Savannahnow.com was awarded "Best Overall News Site" in the circulation category of less than 75,000, and also won "Best Classified Application" for their Coastal Autos product in the less than 75,000-circulation category when the Newspaper Association of America's New Media Federation presented the 2004 Digital Edge Awards in San Diego, CA, Jan. 18-20.
The honors came to a team already used to success in the online space. "Top Ads" that include Top Autos, Top Jobs, and Top Homes are contributing a sizable amount of online revenue to Savannahnow.com. The digital team led by director Mark Swendra deftly mixes business and technology for a powerful presence that generates increased revenue across categories.Key Features:
Company Info: Savannahnow.com is the online version of the Savannah Morning News, a 67,115 newspaper located in Savannah, GA. The newspaper is owned by Morris Communications.
