IAB Establishes NYC Headquarters, Names Director

The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) announced it selected its 1998 officers, established its headquarters in New York City, and filled the newly created post of director.

Rich LeFurgy, senior vice president, advertising for ABC News/ESPN Internet Ventures, was reelected chairman. Richy Glassberg, vice president/general manager, Turner Interactive Marketing and Sales, will be vice chairman. Kate Everett Thorp, president and CEO of Lot21 Interactive Advertising Group, was elected secretary. Molly Ford, vice president of AOL.com, and Jed Savage, vice president of sales at CBS SportsLine, were elected co-treasurers.

The newly appointed director, Frank Dudley, will coordinate all operational functions for the IAB; function as a principal contact for current members, potential members, and committees; supervise the IAB Web site; and plan and implement the annual membership meeting, international initiatives, the IAB Road Show, and other organizational programs.

The IAB also appointed Los Angeles-based Bender, Goldman & Helper as its media relations and marketing communications counsel.

Dudley has a range of experience in strategic development, marketing, management, and new media production. In 1994, he founded his own media consulting company, FX Dudley Communications. Prior to that he served as international marketing manager for Gannett International/USA Today International, after holding the position of strategic marketing manager for Newspapers First, the nation’s largest major market newspaper rep firm.

Dudley has also created and served as executive producer for a number of interactive pilots for ABC Daytime Television, and has consulted with several new media companies, interactive agencies, and client companies. Creator and host of “The Best Interactive Agencies of the Year” awards with Adweek‘s IQ and The Advertising Club of New York, he also hosts the “Interactive Roundtable Series” at The New York Times.

“As these announcements indicate, the IAB has begun an ambitious agenda of activities designed to improve and expand upon our internal and external communication, education, creative and membership initiatives. Under the IAB Version 2.0 umbrella, details of which will be announced in the coming weeks, we will focus our efforts on projects designed to benefit our membership in particular and the industry in general,” LeFurgy said.

Founded in 1996, the IAB has more than 175 active members and is involved in evaluating and recommending standards and practices, sponsoring research to document the effectiveness of the online medium, and educating the advertising industry about the use of online advertising.