NEWSQUEST Media Group, owners of the Gazette and Herald and Wiltshire Times, have received an award at the 2016 Online Media Awards.

The company, which has more than 165 local news brands across the UK, were presented with ‘Best use of Data for Commercial Gain’ after beating off competition from the Economist and Financial Times.

The award, which was presented at a ceremony in London on Wednesday (June 8), reflects the innovative and successful approach Newsquest has taken in developing category-specific display advertising products for its 50,000 local advertisers.

Newsquest’s digital display director, Simon Sarahs, said: “Becoming a more client-centric organisation has been critical to our success.

“By putting our clients’ needs at the heart of everything we do we’ve been able to develop a credible digital product proposition for our local advertisers – ensuring their ads are being served to the right people, at the right time, and in the right environment.”

Newsquest digital director, Mark Smith, added: “It’s a fitting reward for the digital display team and the smart thinking and effort that they’ve put in to what they’ve produced for our local sales teams.

“To have been shortlisted alongside the Financial Times and the Economist and won is no small feat and they deserve the recognition.”