Execs and Accounts for February 26, 2003

Agency.com interactive marketing subsidiary i-traffic has launched a new campaign for the Discovery Channel’s premiere of “JFK: Death in Dealey Plaza.” The campaign, which is running on NYTimes.com, ABCNews.com and HowStuffWorks.com, aims to encourage fans to tune into the show.

All three sites have built out a special “Unsolved History” section within each of their sites. NYTimes.com will include several articles pulled from the New York Times archive from the day of the JFK assassination as well as a slide show about the historical events surrounding the tragedy. ABCNews.com and HowStuffWorks.com will include special content detailing the techniques used on the series, including ballistic and forensics procedures.

i-traffic’s creative team also developed an application which provides a 360 degree view of Dealey Plaza, the site of Kennedy’s assassination, thus allowing users “to explore the entire crime scene,” according to Agency.com

IT certification resource CramSession has returned to NetCreations’ PostMasterDirect double opt-in email solution after dabbling in single opt-in. A former NetCreations customer, CramSession eventually withdrew its business in favor of a single opt-in subscription process. However, the company has apparently made a shift in its strategy.

“We value our users’ privacy and want to ensure for them that their personal information is secure,” said Martin Grasdal, director of CramSession. “This is why we are entrusting our double opt-in list to PostMasterDirect.”

VRX Worldwide has entered a three-year agreement with Expedia to enhance Expedia.com with interactive virtual tours and detailed property maps. Last year, VRX began providing 360-degree tours of Expedia Special Rate (ESR) hotels and cruise ships throughout the Caribbean, Mexico and the United States. The tours proved popular with travelers, and Expedia decided to expand the function. VRX’s latest project for the travel site adds virtual tours of Walt Disney World Resort Hotels, Theme Parks, and Disney Cruise Line ships.

“VRX consistently provides the highest quality and most user-friendly interactive visual content on the Web, making it easy for travelers to find the trip thats right for them,” said Lloyd Frink, vice president of destinations and lodging at Expedia. “With VRX’s help, we will continue to add new and exciting content that enhances the experience of customers planning and booking their travel online.”

Bill Graves, formerly VP of marketing at eGroups, has been appointed VP of marketing at Topica. His focus will be on further growing market demand for Topica’s Email Publisher product. Additionally, Roland Jacobs has been named Topica’s chief technology officer; Bill McCauley has been appointed senior director of privacy and standards; and Amar Parikh has been named director of operations.

Dating site Match.com has appointed Manning Selvage & Lee (MS&L) as its lead international public relations agency, responsible for supporting the roll-out of the Match.com service across continental Europe. The account was awarded after a competitive agency review and will be led from the UK, initially covering activities in Germany, France, Sweden and Spain.

“The online dating market is booming across Europe and we have selected MS&L to help build the Match.com brand across the continent,” said Joe Cohen, VP and general manager for Match.com International. “We needed a partner that truly understood the nature of the brand and what we’re trying to achieve.”

For more breaking news on account action and executive moves, visit ChannelSeven.com.