Times head of marketing quits for e-commerce job

Times Newspapers marketing director Toby Constantine has quit News International (NI). Industry insiders claim Constantine, who was marketing director for The Times and Sunday Times, may have been disappointed after missing out in the latest promotions at NI. Constantine was unavailable and The Times declined to comment on the reasons for his departure. He is expected to team up with former NI colleague Ellis Watson, who is understood to be setting up an e-commerce venture. Watson, former marketing director of The Sun and News of the World, was general manager of the free Sun-branded Internet service provider CurrantBun.com until he quit last month (MW August 12). Constantine and Watson met while working at sales promotion house Option One before being poached by NI. Times Newspapers managing director Camilla Rhodes says: “Constantine has brought his own style and energy to the titles.” The Times’ circulation dropped to 704,729 in July, down 6.2 per cent year on year, according to Audit Bureau of Circulations figures. The Sunday Times’ circulation has also fallen, to 1.3 million for July, down 0.71 per cent year on year.