Internet Advertising Bureau Chairman Rich
LeFurgy was tapped to lead the FAST Forward Steering Committee, an
industry-wide initiative stemming from Procter & Gamble’s Future of
Advertising Stakeholders (FAST) Summit in Cincinnati last week.
LeFurgy will leave his position as senior vice president for advertising at
Buena Vista Internet Group in October to focus on ensuring the evolution and
growth of the Internet as a robust advertising medium.
The new group was asked to help spur mass consumer acceptance of online
advertising, create cost-effective ad models, make online media easier to buy
and create broadly accepted measurement standards.
The final goal will be to formally propose a set of comprehensive industry
standards for online advertising.
The committee represents all segments of the industry through its four member
associations–the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), the Coalition of
Advertising Supported Information Entertainment (CASIE), which is a joint
initiative of the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and the American
Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA), and the Advertising Research
Foundation (ARF).
“The online advertising industry stands at a crossroads right now, and I want
to continue making a significant contribution to the development of the
Internet as it becomes increasingly significant for advertisers,” LeFurgy
said. “What we, as an industry do from here on out can have very positive
effects on the continued growth of the medium and its future success, but only
if we all act in the best interests of the industry as a whole.”
“As I begin consulting, this is a very opportune moment to devote a great deal
of my time to the IAB and to focus on the industry-wide activities of the FAST
Forward Steering Committee.”
Procter & Gamble’s vice president for global advertising, Denis Beausejour,
said, “Our experience working with Rich clearly suggests that he has a
tremendous grasp of digital media and the issues facing digital advertising.
In addition, he has proven to be a smart, objective thinker with the skills
necessary to effectively represent the online advertising industry. He is an
excellent choice to carry the FAST spirit forward.”
“Rich was a pioneer in helping establish Starwave in the online media world a
few years ago. Since then, his forward thinking has been of great value to
Buena Vista Internet Group,” said Jake Winebaum, chairman of Buena Vista.
One of the founders of the Internet Advertising Bureau, LeFurgy served as
its chairman for the past two years. The IAB’s activities have included
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.
