MSN Restructures Sales Team To Cash In on Web Boom

MSN UK has restructured its sales team in an attempt to increase revenues and improve client services as the boom in internet advertising continues.

The shake-up has seen the sales division doubled over the last three months to include 43 members, with a new sales strategy and planning team created to support the existing advertising, agency, direct client and direct marketing teams.

The new team has been devised to allow MSN to focus more proactively on producing innovative advertising solutions that better serve its clients. The team will be led by Penelope Barnes, who moves over from the role of client development manager.

Meanwhile, MSN is also looking to fill the new ‘online evangelist’ role within the agency team, which has been created to generate new revenue streams from various advertising sectors such as FMCG, finance, automotive and entertainment.

The shake-up has also seen commercial director, Chris Ward, promoted to the role of deputy director with responsibility for running MSN while Gillian Kent is on maternity leave. Ward said: “We know the online medium is beginning to be recognised as an increasingly important part of the media mix by a broader range of agencies and brand managers. We’re improving the structure and reorganising the team to support this positive development.”

The latest figures from the Internet Advertising Bureau show that online adspend increased by an astounding 80% last year to reach more than £353 million. MSN is keen to cash in on the boom and recently redesigned its website for the first time in almost three years in an attempt to attract more big-brand advertisers to the internet (see MSN Redesigns Homepage For Advertisers).

MSN: 020 7465 7700 www.msn.co.uk

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