Regional publishing giant Singapore Press Holdings has commissioned a new advertising planning and layout system from ppi Media to integrate with existing systems.

The group went live with German vendor ppi’s PlanPag in June, almost a year after signing a contract.

The software is integrated with existing systems including inhouse-developed AdNet order entry system, Atex Hermes editorial and the Adobe InDesign-based Chinese editorial systems.

With 18 newspapers published in four languages, and growing requirements for ad planning and layout, it was time for some enhancements: “To ensure that print advertising remains as an attractive option for our customers, we are challenging the status quo to create new and innovative newspaper ads,” says SPH marketing vice president Tan Ooi Boon. “The new system allows us to track and implement such ads for our clients.

“This is just the beginning as we strive to reinvent print advertising, by packing more punches to it and making it more visually stunning.”

SPH dominates newspaper publishing in Singapore, and has been setting standards recently with creative ads and cross-media offerings. ppi has more than 90 PlanPag installations worldwide, with the system defining main runs, pre-runs, volumes and book structures, as well as placing ROP ads, reserving desk spaces, assigning colours and reserving classified ad spaces.

The SPH implementation is ppi’s second in Singapore, strengthening the company’s position in the southeast Asian market. “We see more and more Asian newspaper publishers preparing their operations for the future by favouring standardised high quality solutions,” says chief operating officer Norbert Ohl. “Individual software development does not seem to be a competitive alternative.”