Interactive agency and design firm .Com Marketing has picked
up seven clients, spanning the financial, software development, and hotel
resort industries. The list includes APTEC Corporation, a maker of
product development tools; online game developer Grand Virtual;
financial consultancy Greycliffe Partners; resorts Westin Grand
Bohemian Hotel, Marriott Village, and Marriott Miami Resort;
and Poole Carbone Eckbert, a Florida investment bank.
CyberDrawer, a direct response Web marketer, has hired
industry veteran Larry Weissman as president. Weissman is a long-time
player in the Internet space, directing some of the earliest interactive
marketing campaigns. He has developed direct response and Web marketing plans
for Lands’ End, Scudder Mutual Funds, NAPA Auto Parts, and
Alamo Car Rental, among others. In 1994, he founded and served as
president of Paradigm Direct Marketing and Paradigm Interactive,
a direct response-marketing agency based in Atlanta. Weissman has also served
on several advisory boards and is a member of the Direct Marketing
Association and the Association for Interactive Media.
In his new role, Weissman will guide the development of marketing technologies
for CyberDrawer and plan deployment and distribution strategies for the
company’s products.
Marketing and advertising firm TMP Worldwide , the parent
company for Monster.com, has made two executive appointments within its
advertising division.
Michelle Abbey, formerly TMP’s senior vice president and global
interactive product manager, has been promoted to president of advertising and
communications for the Americas. A 20-year veteran of TMP Worldwide, Abbey
pioneered several initiatives at TMP’s ad division. These include setting up an
interactive services department for North America and Europe, developing the
creative services department for the recruitment division, and integrating
seven acquisitions into a single interactive, marketing and creative group. She
also managed TMP’s art production department at one time. Abbey now assumes
overall management and operational responsibility for all advertising in North
and South America, replacing former division president Kevin Johnson,
whom the company said is “seeking other opportunities.”
The company also hired Derek Irwin as chief financial officer of
advertising and communications for the Americas. Formerly CFO of the company’s
executive search and eResourcing divisions in the same region, Irwin replaces
Nigel Crouch, who is taking on a role in the controller office of TMP
Worldwide. Before TMP, he served as VP of finance for the American League of
Professional Baseball Clubs, developing budgets and financial reports,
implementing cost reductions, negotiating contracts, and increasing licensing
revenue.
Allan Brown has resigned from his position as CEO of marketing and
promotion agency Simon Worldwide . A company spokeswoman declined to
comment on Brown’s departure.
In accordance with a termination agreement, Brown agreed to remain on the
company’s board, providing consulting services, for a period of six months.
Simon will continue operations under the management of an executive committee,
consisting of board members Anthony Kouba and George Golleher in
consultation with outside advisors.
Brown was promoted to the chief executive role last year when his co-CEO
Patrick Brady and the firm’s CFO Dominic Mammola both resigned
for undisclosed reasons.
Simon Worldwide has suffered financial difficulty after losing two of its
largest clients, McDonalds and Philip Morris
, after a well-
publicized scandal last year. The matter came to light when the U.S. Justice
Department charged a Simon employee with defrauding the fast food giant
by “rigging” promotional games the agency created. Although the firm itself was
never accused of wrongdoing, the company has been embroiled in financial and
legal difficulties resulting from the scandal, and has strugged to recover.
For more breaking news on account action and executive moves, visit ChannelSeven.com.
