Hasta La Ideas

According to Chicago Tribune media reporter Robert Channick, 2014 was a decent year for the digital marketing side of parent company Tribune Publishing. Revenues topped out at $24.8 million, a 55% increase over 2013.

But also, per his report, Tribune Publishing CEO Jack Griffin is hoping to see a lot more come in from that side of the operation in 2015. In December, he hired an old Meredith Corp. pal, Dan Hickey, to consult. A month later, Hickey came on board full-time and has been making major changes:

While Hickey’s hiring wasn’t announced publicly, his presence has certainly been felt. He has executed a complete overhaul of the sales staff, recruiting a smaller team of “specialized” salespeople to act as digital consultants and refocusing efforts on Tribune Publishing’s largest 200 clients.

Hickey also has folded the newspaper’s content marketing team under 435 Digital, a simple yet innovative move.

Hickey, who spent more than a decade in the senior ranks at Meredith, was most recently working for the Telegraph Media Group in London. Read about the rest of his plans for 435 Digital, which has offices in Chicago, Los Angeles and five other U.S. cities, here.
 
[Image via: 435digital.com]