HSBC Sponsors WSJ Launch of European and Asian Sites

The Wall Street Journal has launched expanded sites for Europe and Asia, and a dedicated homepage for the Indian market. HSBC Private Bank is the exclusive launch sponsor for the sites.

The expansion follows WSJ.com’s redesign in September last year, and aims to provide regionally relevant content to its international audiences, while helping to attract revenues from local advertisers.

Expanded editorial teams in London, Hong Kong, and New Delhi will produce dedicated content for the sites, and local sales staff from the Wall Street Journal Digital Network will sell inventory across the properties.

“WSJ.com has one of the most influential and affluent audiences, and today’s launch of the expanded, regional sites will better help marketers reach this audience with increased user engagement,” a WSJ spokesperson told ClickZ News in an e-mailed statement.

As well as sporting the aesthetics of their redesigned U.S. counterpart, the new regional sites will roll out similar ad offerings and features in the coming months. The sites will offer roll-up units, takeovers and section sponsorships with custom executions, in addition to standard display units. Sales staff will also offer cross-platform packages for WSJ’s online, mobile, print, and events properties.

Advertisers can now target local markets through sponsorship of the sites themselves, or make use of the geotargeting capabilities that WSJ has already offered. HSBC Private Bank, the exclusive launch sponsor for the sites, is currently running display takeovers.

Additionally, a Blackberry application which delivers content from WSJ.com, MarketWatch.com, Barrons.com, and AllThingsD.com, is now also available in Europe and Asia, with specific regional content tabs. Currently, advertisers are limited to running banner campaigns to all users of the application, but, according to the spokesperson, the introduction of a new ad-platform in the near future will enable geotargeted placements.

“We listened to the needs of readers and advertisers in planning the launch. Agencies and clients told us they wanted more engaged audiences, more engaging solutions, and more reach,” stated the spokesperson. “This is only the start of the process. We will roll out more [features] as the year progresses.”

The spokesperson declined to offer details on what portion of WSJ’s revenue is currently generated by advertising as compared to its subscription revenue.