InterAd Opens an Office in Lisbon

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).