Sun boss quits for revived Express marketing post

The Sun newspaper’s marketing manager Roland Agambar has quit News International to take the resurrected marketing director job at rival Express Newspapers with responsibility for The Express, Sunday Express and Daily Star. He reports to joint managing director Stan Myerson.

Agambar handed in his notice at the beginning of this week and was immediately asked to leave News International’s offices in Wapping.

Express Newspapers has not had a marketing director since the Northern & Shell takeover in November 2000. Last October, the company created the role of general manager, which encompassed many of the marketing functions. Margaret McDonagh was appointed to the post on a five-month contract and is leaving at the end of this week to take up a Harvard University business course. It is not clear if the title will be retained.

Myerson has pledged that The Express Group will spend &£30m on advertising its newspapers in 2002.The company has been creating its own advertising since N&S bought the newspapers in November 2000. The company spent &£7.4m across the group on advertising in 2001 (AC Nielsen/MEAL).

Circulation on the Express titles has nosedived over recent months, although the Daily Star is proving an unexpected success story. ABC figures for September 2001 to February 2002 show an average net circulation for the Daily Express of 955,256, down 5.49 per cent year on year and down 6.8 per cent February on January. The Daily Star rose 12.83 per cent to 617,242 for the period September 2001 to February 2002.