Execs & Accounts for October 5, 2003
iProspect taps a search celeb to manage its European business; ExactTarget hires a VP of technology; Grolsch launches a digital campaign with virtual characters from Pulse.
SEO firm iProspect hired Mike Grehan as managing director of iProspect Europe. The British search marketing expert authored Search Engine Marketing: The Essential Best Practice Guide and has run his own interactive marketing consultancy since 1996.
“With the addition of Mike Grehan to lead our European operations… we are now positioned to help European-based global 1000 companies leverage the power of search engine marketing,” said Rob Murray, president of iProspect.
Indianapolis-based ExactTarget hired Gary Rush as VP of technology and operations, a new position the email marketing software provider said it created to cope with rapid growth in its business.
Rush comes from Made2Manage Systems, where he served variously as VP of development, CTO and VP of sales.
“Gary… has made invaluable contributions to other companies of our size and stage of growth,” said ExactTarget President Scott Dorsey. “He has a unique skill set that will help us strengthen our market position through both product innovation and infrastructure development.”
Dutch interactive agency Bookmark launched an email and Web marketing campaign for Grolsch Beer using rich media technology firm Pulse’s “Veepers” technology, which supports the creation of “photo-real, talking virtual characters.” Titled “De Bok is Los!” (“The Goat is Loose!”) and available only in Dutch, the promotion is intended to broaden brand recognition and drive site traffic via a viral email mechanism.
Visitors build their own virtual character from a photo or select from a gallery of pre-built characters based on “the Grolsch goat.” Grolsch is posting the best and funniest user-created characters on its site. The campaign will run for three months.
Dan Meub, NetIQ’s general manager of Web analytics, is retiring. The company has promoted Greg Drew to replace him. Formerly SVP of Web analytics marketing, Drew also spent five years as CEO and chairman of 800 Electronics. “He has the veteran technology expertise and relevant entrepreneurial and leadership experience, to take us to the next level,” said CEO Charles Boesenberg.
Interactive agency Media Revolution hired Bob Kasunic as director of online marketing and campaign strategy. Kasunic last served as director of interactive for brand marketer Upshot, prior to which he was a principal consultant with Zefer and management director at Four Points Digital. He cut his teeth at JWT and Foote, Cone and Belding.
“He has worked with top-tier clients for over 13 years and has developed a keen insight into strategy, marketing and the consumer space,” said Jason Yim, the agency’s president and creative director.
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