NAA Introduces 'Bona Fide Classified' Mark To Authenticate Newspaper Classified Ads Online.

SAN DIEGO, April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The Newspaper Association of America today introduced the "Bona Fide Classified" brand mark, designed to authenticate online classified advertising as originating in an NAA-member newspaper's print or online product.

NAA-member newspapers will use the mark -- with its nostalgic image of a traditional news hawker -- to distinguish their online classified advertisements in the cluttered and sometimes unclear online marketplace.

"This branding initiative will unify newspaper classified advertising online and help our members capitalize on their dominant position in the marketplace," noted NAA President and CEO John F. Sturm. "Our research shows that consumers will look at this mark and instantly know that the ad comes from a credible, reliable and trusted source -- their local newspaper."

Consumer research prior to the mark's launch found that 73 percent of those surveyed knew the mark meant "genuine, real and authentic." More than two-thirds (69 percent) said that seeing the Bona Fide Classified mark would make them more likely to contact the advertiser. The male and female consumers, age 21-40, who were asked about the mark overwhelmingly said the news-hawker image created a feeling of credibility, history and trustworthiness.

"Our Internet competitors are spending millions of dollars to gain the classified assets newspapers have cultivated over the years," explained Tony Marsella, NAA vice president of classified advertising. "Consumers must understand that their newspaper maintains its value online and is the first and best choice for buying and selling products or seeking a job. The Bona Fide Classified mark will help them quickly identify newspaper ads online.

"The Bona Fide Classified mark will separate, elevate and authenticate newspaper online classified advertising," Marsella added.

In conjunction with the Bona Fide Classified mark, NAA launched www.bonafideclassified.com, a site for consumers on the World Wide Web that links to real estate, auto and employment Web pages of newspapers across the country.

Classified advertising qualifies for the Bona Fide Classified mark if:

* The classified ad originates on an NAA-member newspaper's classified advertising Web site and is subject to the same acceptance guidelines as the parent newspaper

* An advertiser places an ad through a member newspaper and requests that the ad appear only on the newspaper's Web site and not in the printed newspaper

* The ad appears on a national newspaper aggregate site, it must be placed through an NAA-member newspaper, subject to normal standards for acceptance, and does not remain online indefinitely

* The ad appears on a national aggregate site not affiliated with newspapers, the ad may bear the mark if it appeared in a member-newspaper classified section or member-newspaper Web site -- the mark may be used only on the member-newspaper's ad, not the entire site.

In addition to use of Bona Fide Classified within online classified ads, newspapers will promote the mark in their print and online products.

NAA is a nonprofit organization representing the $54 billion newspaper industry and more than 1,800 newspapers in the U.S. and Canada. Most NAA members are daily newspapers, accounting for 87 percent of the U.S. daily circulation. Headquartered in Tysons Corner (Vienna, Va.), the Association focuses on six key strategic priorities that affect the newspaper industry collectively: marketing, public policy, diversity, industry development, newspaper operations and readership (added in February 1999). Information about NAA and the industry may also be found at the Association's World Wide Web site on the Internet (www.naa.org).