Havana, Apr 7, (RHC), – The Cuban News Agency (acn) has announced the opening of a paid ad space, both on tabloid and on-line, in which cooperatives, state companies, private workers and people in general can now post ads to advertise products and services.

During a news conference at the building hosting the Cuban Journalists Association in Havana, agency director Edda Díaz launched the new service called Ofertas by describing it as a safe and legal space for individuals and entities, which will make attractive publicity work at very competitive prices.

Edda said that the new service is aimed at meeting the demands of state companies and of the growing non-state economic sector and at assisting consumers and clients with respect to their rights and duties.

Both the on-line and the print versions will also provide information on legal, technological, commercial and trade issues along with topics on the tax system. Also included are issues related to fashion, health, and civil information.

The print version or tabloid, to be first released in May, will count on 60 thousand copies, with 16 pages each, eight pages will be dedicated only to ads and it will be published on a monthly basis for the time being. The online version www.ofertas.cu will be available over the next few days.

Advertising has mostly been foreign to Cubans for decades. In the 1980´s an ad magazine called Opina became popular among Cubans but it disappeared. Later, a tourist-aimed radio station began to air ads and still does. Some specialized trade and tourism magazines have also advertised major Cuban products like cigars, rums and hotels. More recently, the telephone guide brings a limited number of ads. But other initiatives have made their bit as well, particularly on-line platforms designed abroad, and locally printed advertisements promoting private businesses.

The ACN Ofertas initiative surfaces in a new scenario marked by the new information technologies and with some competition already in the field, in an effort to provide Cubans, either in the business sector or not, with an offer that may be of their interest and on a safe and legal basis, as the agency director pointed out.