MSN Grows Research Division

MSN is bolstering its research division with two new, client-facing appointments intended to drive interactive marketing adoption.

Mari Kim Novak, formerly of ComScore and most recently, SVP of strategic client development at Millward Brown, came on board September 7 as director of industry relations. She’s charged with evangelizing online advertising through work with ad and media associations.

Greg Bloom joins MSN on Monday as research manager, a newly created, New York-based position. A company spokesperson said it’s a priority be “closer to that important community of agencies and marketers.”

Bloom was most recently a senior analyst at Nielsen/NetRatings. MSN hopes he can help bridge the gap between on- and offline media research.

“MSN is committed to developing research that its clients can use to make informed decisions about where to make their media and site buys. We have a strong research team currently; bringing in Greg, who has a deep understanding of research in online advertising, will make us an even stronger resource for our clients,” said Eric Hadley MSN’s director of marketing.

Last March, MSN’s research division released an advertising accountability study that found companies should spend between 8 and 12 percent of ad budgets online.