Associated Northcliffe Digital launches hyper-local sites

Associated Northcliffe Digital (AND) has launched the first phase of its ‘Local People Network’ hyper-local websites.

The roll-out, of an initial 23 local community websites in the South-West of England, covers areas such as Falmouth and Clifton with between 10,000 and 50,000 inhabitants.

A further twenty plus sites are due to launch in the South-West of England throughout the summer of 2009.

AND said that the sites are designed to encourage the local community to interact with each other and report on important events in their neighbourhood.

Roland Bryan, strategy director at Associated Northcliffe Digital, said: “Our Local People Network has been developed to allow people who are living or working in local communities to interact with each other.

“The sites will complement the existing network of local and regional media and for the first time will create a genuinely user generated approach to local content, giving local people an online forum to discuss and debate relevant issues with other locals, and shape opinion in their community.

This strategy also gives us the opportunity to build relationships and targeted advertising products for the local SME market that is often poorly served by online media today.”

AND, the digital consumer division of Daily Mail General Trust, will use targeted SEM and digital display advertising to drive users to the network.