InterAd, the European Internet ad sales house created by former SOFTBANK Interactive execs, opened a new Lisbon office as part of an expansion drive designed to position the company as the leading Internet ad sales house in Europe.
InterAd, which already has regional offices in Barcelona, Hamburg, London, Paris and Madrid, said it is the first multinational Internet ad sales organization to open an operational Portuguese sales office. Other offices, in Germany and Scandinavia, are scheduled to open shortly, the company said.
“The move is part of a mid-term strategy to create an extensive European structure by expanding our operating base wherever possible,” said Gordon Simpson, CEO of InterAd. “We already provide pan-European representation for our Web sites, but, through expansion, we can offer dedicated local services to sites and customers and a one-stop-shop facility for international advertisers.”
Following its recent agreement with Euroserve to provide European ad serving and targeting, InterAd intends to create a network of Portuguese sites, which will eventually be linked with others across Europe, to create the first pan- European sites network. InterAd clients include European Web sites like AltaVista.Telia, ATP Tour.com and Spanish sites, Ciudad Futura and Anuncios.
The Lisbon office, along with operations in Barcelona and Madrid, will eventually form the springboard for expanding InterAd’s services into South and Central America.
Sales activity from Lisbon will be directed by Paula Cristina Machado, former head of marketing for Portugal’s MGI (Management Global Information).