A new artificial intelligence-driven tool that helps local print advertisers to get publicity for their businesses online has been adopted by Iliffe Media.

The independent publisher has announced a new partnership with Smartico to introduce “Smart Ads”, which use technology to rebuild print advertisements in order to make them suitable for use on websites.

Smartico’s “Smart Ads” work by extracting all the relevant data from the print ad of the advertiser and then enriches it with images, data, and texts from the web, using a mixture of AI and human work to do so.

The tool will initially be introduced to the New Milton Advertiser and Lymington Times, Newbury Weekly News and Stratford Herald before expanding to all 38 of Iliffe’s titles.

Iliffe Media's Chief Revenue Officer Ricky Allan said: “We believe that Smart Ads will assist significantly in our digital advertising strategy.

“We are excited by the opportunities Smart Ads will provide local SMEs and their development and growth plans in a digital world.”

Andrew Harding, Head of Commercial for the Berkshire division of Iliffe, added: “We anticipate that Smart Ads can bring a positive shift in local sales.

“The user appeal and the intuitive buying and selling process for our sales teams and local advertisers are the right product at the right time.”

Christian Scherbel, chief executive of Smartico, said: “We are pleased to partner with one of the major news groups in the UK.

“This collaboration showcases the value and effectiveness of our solution for regional news publishers.”