Mirror picks Lilley to woo

Mirror Group has appointed Peter Lilley, former marketing director at defunct ITV sales house The Time Exchange, as group sales manager.

Lilley, who was number two to Laser managing director Mick Desmond until the Time Exchange merged with Laser Sales in June 1994, will work across all Mirror Group titles. He worked as a consultant until joining the newspaper company last week.

He will use his experience of running TV client sales teams to bring in new money from advertisers who either do not use press and in particular the Mirror’s titles.

“The advent of colour in tabloid newspapers attracted plenty of fmcg and grocery advertising during the recession,” says Lilley. “However, that sort of advertising has drifted away as the cost of entering TV as a medium has come down.”

He adds: “Retailers are happy enough to use the medium for their own-label brands, so we need to get the grocery clients to do the same.”