To assist member publications with online competitors in the classified arena, AAN has purchased bulk copies of a report titled “Competing with Craig: Strategies and tactics for battling Craigslist and its counterparts.” The report will be emailed as a PDF to all AAN publishers on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2005. AAN members will receive the report at no charge.

The 57-page report is published by Classified Intelligence LLC, a consulting group, and is designed to help classified publishers develop more effective advertising products. Normal retail price for the report is $250 per copy.

In a recent press release, founding principal of Classified Intelligence Peter M. Zollman is quoted as saying, “Craigslist has created a highly focused, useful tool for its audience, and too many other classified publishers have not.”

Zollman adds: “As the business becomes even more competitive than it has been, consumers will benefit from more efficient marketplaces and advertisers will find improved services. Only publishers who don’t keep up with the changes will lose.”

The report includes a section containing strategies to reach young consumers that is co-written by a former interactive media vice president and by a young user of Craigslist.

Roxanne Cooper, AAN’s director of sales and marketing, says, “After reviewing the report, we believe there is valuable information to be gained from it, even for folks who’ve been following Craigslist and other competitors closely.”

Zollman will present a follow-up to this report in the Classified Track at this year’s AAN Convention in San Diego. For more information about his company, Classified Intelligence, go to www.classifiedintelligence.com.

The purchase of this report was made possible by the continued success of AAN’s Classified Advertising Network. For more information about AAN CAN, go to www.aancan.com.

If you have any questions or do not receive a copy of your report, please contact Roxanne Cooper at rcooper@aan.org or by calling 202-822-1955.