Execs and Accounts for September 4, 2002

MaxWorldwide has promoted Bill Wise to chief operating officer, a newly formed position. Wise joined MaxWorldwide as executive vice president in July, when the company (then known as L90) bought DoubleClick’s North American Media Network, where he had been serving as VP of business strategy and direct marketing. Prior to that role, he managed DoubleClick Direct, DoubleClick Media’s direct marketing business.

“Bill Wise was a key factor in our decision to acquire DoubleClick Media this summer in anticipation of his filling this important role,” said Mitchell Cannold, president and CEO of MaxWorldwide. “As MaxWorldwide moves forward, we are thrilled to have Bill focusing on growing our business units and getting the company to sustained profitability.”

The three business units of MaxWorldwide — MaxOnline, MaxDirect and MaxCreative — will all report to Wise.

CheckM8 has signed Terra Lycos as a distributor of its rich media ad product across its network. The company aids production and deployment of a range of media units, including floating ads, preview ads, footer and margin ads, and watermarks.

Using CheckM8’s rich media production environment, Lycos said it expects to reduce the time it takes to implement advertising, allowing clients to realize the benefits of rich media while adjusting the creative to suit their needs.

“Lycos has historically embraced rich media ad units as an opportunity to provide value to both advertisers and users,” said Doug Wintz, vice president of Digital Media Solutions at Terra Lycos. “CheckM8 allows us to implement ad campaigns that combine innovative branding with response-based ad units that can play a key roll in consumer messaging efforts.”

Lycos said that during recent months it conducted tests of CheckM8’s products that resulted in higher click-through rates and shorter production schedules than its previous rich media campaigns.

Affiliate marketer Commission Junction has added The Wall Street Journal Online to its ad network. Through the deal, the online version of the financial newspaper — among the Web’s first paid content sites — will pay a commission for each subscriber that results from the advertising on Commission Junction’s network.

“When we decided to start a pay-for-performance program, we found that Commission Junction had the technology, services and publisher relationships that would enable us to expand our reach online and produce results,” said Jennifer Singer, marketing director at The Wall Street Journal Online.

Commission Junction President Jeff Pullen said the client win marks a prestigious addition to its network.

To draw business and celebrate the redesign of its corporate and brand Web sites, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide is launching an online sweepstakes, created by interactive shop Ayzenberg Group. Visitors to one of the hospitality chain’s online destination are encouraged to try their luck at winning vacation prizes to its best-known hotels and resorts. All vacation prizes include airfare and one-week hotel accommodations for two. Called “Play & Stay,” the sweepstakes promotion runs through September 23.

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