Canwest Rolls Out Mobile-Optimized Web Sites

By: E&P Staff All 10 Canwest big-city dailies and canada.com went live Wednesday with mobile-optimized versions of their Web sites.

Designed specifically with the mobile consumer in mind -- easy to use, with all the information people expect from the local paper -- the new sites function with various devices, including iPhone, iPod touch, and BlackBerry Bold and Storm smartphones.

"Mobile represents a key growth area for our organization as consumer adoption and device capabilities continue to expand rapidly," Canwest Digital Media General Manager and Senior Vice President Graham Moysey said in a statement. "We are moving aggressively to cement a leading mobile position for our brands and content through the launch of these and other recent mobile initiatives."

The sites enable marketers to reach a highly targeted and desirable audience. A premium sponsorship position is available at the top of every page, providing maximum exposure to the tech-savvy demographic. Programs are available city by city or nationally. Canada's largest media company, Canwest also can build mobile-optimized pages for clients' ads to click through to.

The first local sponsors to capitalize on the opportunity include a Victoria grocer, Vancouver jeweller, Calgary wine store, Saskatoon and Montreal auto dealers, the NHL's Edmonton Oilers, an Ottawa skate specialist, the Windsor Crossing mall and Regina realty and home-finance firms. Each takes the banner position on the local newspaper's mobile site.

When WestJet launches its Fly Free promotion in newspapers across Canada on Friday, iPhone users will be able to register for a chance to win a WestJet Vacations travel prize. A link to register in the contest will appear on the mobile Web site home screens of The Vancouver Sun, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Regina Leader-Post, The StarPhoenix in Saskatoon, Ottawa Citizen and The Gazette in Montreal.

Besides canada.com, the other Canwest mobile-optimized sites are for the Victoria Times Colonist, The Province in Vancouver and The Windsor Star.