It has prompted moneyspinners such as Society Guardian, which has a monopolistic share of public sector recruitment spend in national newspapers, to advertise on radio again - something it rarely does.
But let's not consign traditional classified to the dustbin just yet. Sure, the medium faces significant challenges from the web, but it's still a significant income stream. And, don't forget, many of those websites are also owned by the newspapers.
Estimating from Nielsen figures, The Guardian's classified print advertising was about £55.5m in 2006, about 11% down on the previous year; this doesn't take account of revenue that has migrated online. Display in 2006 was about £43.5m.
The Independent, admittedly from a low base, increased classified sales in every one of the last seven years, boosting classified travel advertising by 8% in 2006.
For its part, News International last week announced the appointment of David German to the new role of group classified advertising director across the company's entire portfolio. German will now be responsible for classified sales across The Sun, News of the World, The Times, The Sunday Times and thelondonpaper, as well as their respective websites.
The group admits it has amalgamated classified sales operations for Times Media and News Group Newspapers because of a fragmented and challenging market. German's brief is to help the company sell ad packages and bespoke promotions across its print and online brands.
Working with partners who can bring something else to a pitch, producing special supplements, running events and selling online and print together has got to be the way to go.
Classified sales has traditionally been where rookie salespeople start. Staying in classified can limit options as skills are less transferable, but it offers more opportunities to develop, train and coach staff and a quicker route into management.
So let's not forget the dedicated classified sales staff working harder than ever to turn a profit. Advertisers still want to buy space in print media; it is still a significant route to market.
- Steve Barrett is editor of Media Week. steve.barrett@haymarket.com.
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