Known as the Classified Advertisements Sales Hub (CASH), the Atex system enables SPH’s 17 newspapers, which are published in four languages, to manage the booking, billing and pagination of approximately 7,000 multi-language classified ads sold every day.
The Atex Advertising system allows SPH to manage rising customer expectations and growing ad volumes. The Atex system also overcomes many limitations SPH experienced with its 26-year-old legacy equipment. According to Atex, CASH is more intuitive and easier to use than the old system.
In addition, SPH previously needed two separate systems to handle ads in different languages – one for Chinese ads, and another for English and Malay ads. The Atex system is designed to handle all types of advertisements. Coupled with an intuitive user-interface, CASH is more efficient and easier to learn. New staff can now get up to speed and become fully functional in a shorter time.
SPH’s IT Project Director Ng Pue Sieng said: “The old systems had reached a point where they were fast becoming obsolete. For example, the operating system for Chinese ads was no longer supported by the vendor, and we often had to make do with salvaging hardware from old consoles.”
Elsie Chua, SPH’s Executive Vice-President, CATS Classified, Marketing Division, added: “Classified advertising has evolved tremendously. While advertisers were once satisfied with simple run-on ads consisting of only a few lines of text, many now value and buy into creative options with colour logos, special layouts and premium positions.”
“The SPH go-live on Atex Advertising represents an important chapter in a relationship that started in 2004 with a 500-seat Atex content management system,” said Scott Roessler, CEO Atex America. “We learned then that a complex project of this nature requires a team effort. To provide a flexible platform capable of handling both Chinese and English language content in the same database, it takes the dedicated effort of both Atex and SPH to ensure the system meets and exceeds expectations. Everyone at Atex is thrilled with the results of this project and we look forward to working with SPH for many years to come.”
About Atex
Atex says: "Atex is the leading provider of Content Management and Advertising systems for the global media industry. Our software products are powering more than 1,000 of the most prestigious, innovative and demanding media companies across 55 countries worldwide. The hallmark of the Atex product suite is the unique ability to support end-to-end editorial, advertising, and Web content management workflows for all print, digital and mobile channels. From hosted solutions to premise-based systems for newsrooms, ad departments, and digital production centers, Atex is the company that media-rich organizations have chosen for over 37 years to help generate new revenues, reduce costs and streamline business operations."
