• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, April 22, 2008

Gannett is developing a cross-platform sales operation looking to create a "one call, one buy" opportunity for advertisers. The idea is rather simple--and some may say, a long time in coming. Knit together the company's assets so a marketer can swiftly place ads across them without going market to market, platform to platform.

Called "One Gannett," no launch date is set, but CEO Craig Dubow touted it as a growth engine to analysts Monday as the company announced disappointing results in the face of a trying economy. That followed chief digital officer Chris Saridakis' similar enthusiasm in a presentation last month, when he said the venture will look to "aggregate" consumers and allow a national advertiser to "see the value" in reaching them "just like our current advertiser base on the local level sees the value."

Saridakis is trying to persuade advertisers that there's value in hitting consumers via multiple touchpoints in a single day, ranging from the newspapers they read (online and off) to the local TV stations they watch to the "11 seconds" they may spend in an elevator heading to work.

Gannett operates a slew of local newspapers, including USA Today, 23 local TV stations and the Captivate network in elevators.

Dubow said Monday that Gannett is "focusing" on attracting advertisers "in ways we never have before." In the process, he said, the goal remains a "transformation" in reaction to changing consumer patterns, looking to build a "world-class digital business." While no details were announced, Dubow said Gannett is developing an ad-serving platform that will facilitate improved tracking of ad inventory and campaign scheduling.

In the short-term, he said the "struggling economy" is hurting Gannett's businesses. In the recently completed first quarter, revenues fell 8.4% to $1.7 billion. Within publishing, ad dollars were down 10.2% to $1.1 billion, and broadcasting revenues (which include Captivate) fell by 7% to $170.2 million. (Dubow said the broadcasting drop was expected, due to a drop in Super Bowl-related advertising a year ago.)

Overall, U.S. ad revenue fell 11%, the company said. As with most newspaper-heavy companies, a sharp decline in real-estate classified advertising was a trouble spot in print. A bright spot was USA Today, where ad revenues were up 2.1%.

In broadcasting, Dubow said ad dollars in the current second quarter look to be below the same period last year by mid-to-high single digits. "Pacings will be volatile, particularly in an election year."

He did say the 23 local stations are "well-positioned for what appears to be an unprecedented level of advertising associated with the elections in the fourth quarter." The company has duopolies in Jacksonville, Fla. and Denver that could attract considerable spending if viewed as battleground areas.