Aol?s Patch Taps Ad Tech Startup PaperG To Boost Local Ad Sales In Over 100 Markets

Traditional publishers and fledgling digital publications alike are trying to find the best ways to monetize their content on the Web and take advantage of the benefits offered by hyperlocal content and the targeted advertising that (should) come with it. PaperG, an advertising technology startup founded in 2007, is trying to become that go-to solution for small and established online publishers that are looking for a quick and easy solution for their hyperlocal advertising needs.
PaperG has built a solution that automates local ad creation, sales, and management for these online publishers that automatically creates a custom rich-media ad for any local business in less than 60 seconds, according to PaperG Founder and CEO Victor Wong. In August of last year, the startup added well-known publishers including the Los Angeles Times, MediaNews Group, Lee Enterprises, and Sun Times Media Group to its roster of publishing partners, which also includes names like Hearst, McClatchy, Gannett, New York Times Regional, Boston Globe, Newsday and New York Post.
Today, the startup is announcing that it will be providing its local display advertising technology to another big player in the local news space: AOL Inc.?s hyperlocal platform of sites, Patch.com. (Disclosure: TechCrunch is owned by Aol.) PaperG?s technology will be released in over 100 of Patch?s markets, enabling Patch sales teams access instant ad creation, management, and optimization for their litany of local advertisers.
The value proposition here for Aol?s Patch is that PaperG?s technology, which supports Flash, HTML5, and mobile ad units, can automatically build a custom ad for any local business in a jiffy (an example of which you can check out to the right). All that a sales rep or advertiser needs is the business? name and address, and PaperG?s solution crawls the Web, aggregating all the important info for the business, including reviews, location, etc., and presto, it creates a display ad without the sales rep having so much as to open a