• by Tyler Loechner  @mp_tyler, August 14, 2013

BLiNQ Media, a social media advertising company owned by Gannett, has partnered with ShopLocal, another Gannett Company focused on local marketing for retailers and brands. The two Gannett-owned companies have launched Local LiFT, a product meant for retailers and brands looking to deliver local ads and promotions to Facebook users in real-time.

"No other solution can provide this kind of automated ad creation with local level, market specific targeting," Luis Caballero, BLiNQ's newly minted CEO, claimed in the release.

"Our solution taps social media's massive shopper reach and targeting capabilities to deliver a real-time local, social marketing capability for retailers and brands," stated Vikram Sharma, CEO of Gannett Digital Marketing Services and ShopLocal. "With Local LiFT, retailers and brands can now programmatically connect with shoppers on social networks to deliver relevant, local ads based on their interests and needs."

The companies claim that early data shows that Local LiFT has increased year-over-year in-store sales lift by 3-4% for "major national retailers and a top regional supermarket."