Execs and Accounts for December 18, 2002

SF Interactive has launched a new data analytics and customer knowledge unit called SF Insight. Led by Bill Firing, former VP of consulting for the analytics division of Foote Cone & Belding, SF Insight will offer traditional qualitative planning, quantitative data analysis, and relationship marketing strategy services. Additionally, SF Interactive’s existing email marketing group and its analytics team will move into the new unit, reporting to Firing.

Prior to his stint at Foote Cone & Belding, Firing was senior partner and director of OgilvyOne’s customer knowledge, CRM and tele-services units in New York, overseeing the delivery of services throughout the North America network. He was also a principal consultant at Dun & Bradstreet.

“The immediacy and personalization capabilities of the online medium have not been remotely exploited to provide the greatest value to marketers,” said Bruce Carlisle, president & CEO, of SF Interactive. “Bill Firing’s job is very simple; to help companies find the hidden value in their disparate marketing databases and make the resulting marketing programs generate higher returns.”

RHC Media, publisher of Red Herring magazine, has selected 24/7 Real Media’s Open AdStream to manage ad delivery for Red Herring Online. RHC Media will use Open AdStream Central, which manages delivery from 24/7’s central servers.

“We thoroughly evaluated other solutions and are convinced that 24/7 Real Media’s Open AdStream Central is the best product for our ad delivery needs,” said Nina La France, senior VP of marketing and operations for RHC Media.

Online media company eUniverse has launched a do-it-yourself avatar promotion on its Flowgo.com property, enabling users to create personalized e-greeting cards featuring talking virtual characters from standard photograph. Using “Veepers” technology from 3D graphics provider Pulse, Flowgo.com users can build virtual characters from digital photos or other images, selecting one of several voices with which these characters can recite personalized messages for friends and family.

“The Pulse Veepers technology provides us with an opportunity to offer our users a more personalized form of online communication, fitting perfectly with our wide range of entertainment offerings,” said Brad Greenspan, chairman and CEO of eUniverse.

To help raise awareness of the Veepers e-cards, eUniverse will send promotional emails to approximately three million of its registered members over the next few weeks. Pulse Veepers recently powered a similar promotion targeting adult beverage consumers for Anheuser-Busch.

For more breaking news on account action and executive moves, visit ChannelSeven.com.