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TDI and Taxi Media/Phone Sites have become the first outdoor owners

to post inventory on iMediapoint.com.

The online media trading site already offers advertising packages from

major TV, radio and magazine players, but had not previously carried

outdoor opportunities.

TDI will use the site to market and sell a variety of packages, but will

mainly focus on sponsorship opportunities.

Mike Baker, European marketing director of TDI, stressed he did not see

the site as an alternative to the company’s sales efforts, but as a

complimentary service.

’There are no exclusivity clauses,’ he explained, ’so you can actively

sell packages you are marketing on the site as well. This is very much

about the learning process as far as online trading is concerned. In the

short term, it might not be a very important route to market but who

knows how important it could be in the long term.’

He also said he hoped the service would enable TDI to reach a new

audience for its Underground and bus sites. ’A lot of agencies are

checking iMediapoint, and we are keen to reach them. The outdoor

specialists tend to keep track of all our offerings, but not everyone at

the agencies is able to do that - this will be useful for those

guys.’

It is thought TDI was persuaded to sign up with iMediapoint after the

online media trading sales house last week hired Andy Troullides as its

managing director. TDI worked with Troullides in his former role as

joint managing director of MediaCom TMB.

Taxi Media/Phone Sites, which is currently in the process of expanding

its sales team in response to the enthusiasm for its BT payphone sites,

will offer a variety of phone and taxi packages through iMediapoint.

Mike Tocknell, managing director, enthused: ’iMediapoint is definitely a

key element for future media trading. Phone Sites’ new Street Sites

offer a major high-street presence and will appeal to a wide range of

clients.’