New York-based Travel Ad Network (TAN) brought in a new CEO, is on the verge of changing its name, and is reviewing every aspect of the business as it tries to transform itself into a leading "travel news and information" brand.
The board of directors has brought in Nan-Kirsten Forte as CEO, replacing Brian Silver, who stays on as president and heads a new Travel
Publisher and Advertiser Services division.
Forte most previously served as executive vice president of brand development and chief innovation officer at WebMD Health Corp.
The new TAN CEO started at WebMD in 1999 and played a key role in establishing the company as a leader in health information for consumers.
That prior experience in consumer education and new media undoubtedly will fuel a hoped-for transition at TAN into a broader consumer destination for travel news and information, which presumably travel publishing partners and advertisers can take advantage of.
TAN attracted $15 million in funding in October 2010, and felt compelled less than a year later to change leadership and re-orchestrate its business focus.
So how is the new strategy shaping up?
"The board is pleased by the general direction of TAN, but agrees with me that travel should become part of the daily conversation along the lines of what I have accomplished with health information," Forte says.
"We will leverage the vast amount of travel information from partner companies as well as seek new partners and create original travel coverage to develop TAN as a trusted and leading resource of travel news and information," Forte adds. "It won't happen overnight, but that is our plan."
Larry Bettino, a partner in StarVest Partners, which led the Series C funding round in 2010, offered his vision of a retooled TAN, as well.
"The travel sector is ripe for innovation in its technology-enabled business services," Bettino says. "We like to merge new ideas with industries in transition for truly inspired results."
"We are confident Nan will be able to build on TAN's formidable assets to create the leading and most trusted online authority in travel," Bettino adds.
Forte says every aspect of the company's operations -- including the company name, potential acquisitions and the development of new travel properties -- is subject to an "accelerated review."
In that regard, TAN may be further along in changing its name than it is publicly acknowledging.
Forte's LinkedIn profile refers to her current status as CEO "at soon to be formerly known as Travel Ad Network."
The rebranding talk occurs as TAN is embroiled in a trademark dispute with Travel Spike, which runs a smaller, but competing travel advertising service and was granted the trademark for Travel Ad Network.
The two parties have conducted discussions, but no settlement has been reached to resolve the trademark dispute.
Litigation would be an obvious next step if differences can't be narrowed.
It would therefore seem like more than a coincidence that TAN is considering a name change at this juncture, but Forte argues that the reasons are internal to TAN.
"If and when we change the name of the company, it will be for strategic reasons, emphatically not in response to external factors," Forte says.
One of the company's operations under review is TravelMuse, the travel inspiration site which TAN acquired around the time of the funding infusion last year.
Asked about the fate of TravelMuse, once considered a bright light among travel startups but sold to TAN in an asset sale, Forte had no instant answers.
"It is a little early in my days at TAN to make judgments," Forte says. "Every aspect of our operations will come under accelerated review. Our vision is broad and we will be looking at all aspects of contribution to fulfill our mission from existing assets and relationships to new partnerships towards the goal of growth in both audience and engagement."
Travel Ad Network claims its publishing network of 300 websites reaches an audience of 35 million. Publisher partners include companies such as Rand McNally, Let's Go, Not for Tourists, Vayama, Viator and HomeAway UK.