ADVO Forms Internet Subsidiary, ShopWise.com

Direct marketing giant ADVO this week re-organized to focus more attention on its Internet endeavors, forming a subsidiary called ShopWise.com to handle e-commerce related print advertising, CD-ROM insertion initiatives, and other online efforts.

The first entity to come under the Shopwise.com umbrella will be Netserts.com, an advertising magazine dedicated to driving traffic to Internet sites. ADVO (AD) recently acquired a controlling interest in the publication.

“As our Internet-related business ventures continue to grow and evolve, it has become important to establish this new subsidiary in order to provide a dedicated business unit focused on accelerating their development and integration with our core business,” said Gary Mulloy, ADVO’s chairman and chief executive officer.

Don McKenzie, the former president of the company’s MailCoups subsidiary, is taking the role of president of Shopwise.com. McKenzie, in his former position, came up with ways to integrate Internet initiatives into the SuperCoups business, which is why he was chosen to lead Shopwise.com.

ADVO is the nation’s largest direct mail marketing company with annual revenues of over $1 billion.