Execs & Accounts for December 1, 2004
DMA names DiGuido to Ethics Committee; Former Yahoo! marketing exec goes to Infinite Spirits; Chairman of Boston's BigBad passes away.
The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) named Bigfoot Interactive CEO Al DiGuido to its Ethics Policy Committee. E-mail provider Bigfoot stayed loyal to the industry group during a fracas last year that led several members of its interactive subsidiary, the Association for Interactive Marketers (AIM), to resign in protest. The DMA was accused at that time of watering down a set of email marketing guidelines intended to address the growing problem of spam. Bigfoot now appears to be benefiting from its loyalty to AIM and the DMA.
DiGuido’s appointment also reflects the DMA’s growing dedication to online, and in particular email. The committee’s purpose is to recommend and promote best practices and self-regulatory guidelines for the group’s over 5,000 members.
Former Yahoo marketing exec Nancy Ramamurthi was hired by Infinite Spirits, where as VP of marketing she will oversee the newly hot Shakers vodka brand. Her consumer marketing experience also includes brand oversight duties for The Coca-Cola Company, Pfizer and Kraft.
Charles Lard, chairman of Boston interactive agency BigBad, passed away on November 24. Lard has been an investor and member of BigBad’s board since 1996. Earlier, he was assistant treasurer of United Technologies Corporation, and he co-founded ALTA Energy. Current President and CEO Ty Glasgow will serve as chairman until the next shareholder meeting.
E-mail firm Quris hired Chris Nelson as managing director to head its work for Charles Schwab & Co. and MBNA. Nelson, a veteran of Quris competitor Responsys, has consulted on marketing and management strategies for Wells Fargo, Bank of America, IBM, BMW and Ford Motor Company, among others.
SEM firm Reprise Media hired Kevin Gottesman and Patrick Harris as East and West Coast sales managers. Gottesman has worked for 24/7 Media, CMP Media and Sony Music. Harris was a regional sales manager at AskJeeves for five years.
PointRoll signed Bloomberg, Homestore, SI.com, and Tickle to its included network. The network is designed to promote use of the rich media tech company’s FatBoy and other formats by reducing the costs associated with flashier ad units.
