Centro, Morris Team to Extend Geo Beyond Local Sites

In the first of many possible partnerships with local media companies, Centro has teamed up with Morris Digital Works to create a network that allows advertisers to place geo- and vertical- based ads across a broad spectrum of local and national sites. Other local media partners are likely to team with Centro on similar networks. The effort echoes earlier efforts of vertical players such as Cox’s Adify, which is now known as Cox Digital Solutions.

Centro’s network enables advertisers to place follow-on ads on other sites after they hit a consumer with an impression on one of the Morris sites, such as Augusta.com. The network can also be used when a local media site’s geo-impressions are sold out, but more local consumers are sought.

The network includes 16 prepackaged geo and vertical categories, such as sports, travel, real estate, seniors, etc. Custom categories can also be created (i.e., hunting, running, military).

Morris, as the local partner, participates in healthy markups in the 60 percent to 120 percent range, said Morris Digital Works President Michael Romaner, who was speaking at the recent Borrell conference in New York. As a secondary effort, Morris and Centro are also creating The Spectrum Network, which is limited to high-quality news sites.