To that end, Valassis' sales force is receiving training about Yahoo's targeting tools and online display ad inventory so the company can help small business clients including quick service restaurants and home-improvement stores broaden their reach online.
Valassis, whose traditional business is Sunday newspaper coupon inserts, has in recent years expanded its digital presence through sites like RedPlum.com, which offers special deals and savings from brands including L'Oreal, Centrum and Russell Stover.
For Yahoo, the partnership builds on its efforts to attract local advertising dollars. The company already has a strategic alliance with more than 800 newspapers, whose ad sales staffs use Yahoo's behavioral targeting tools to sell display ads on their own sites as well as on the Yahoo network.
A Yahoo spokesman said the Valassis deal would include a revenue-sharing component, but did not provide further details. --Mark Walsh