Execs and Accounts for June 6, 2003

IT research and consulting firm META Group has appointed Phil Asche as senior VP of global marketing.

Asche has had a long career with Young & Rubicam (Y&R), holding various positions such as regional chairman and chief executive of its Africa and Australasia business. He also served as worldwide account director and led Y&R’s work for clients such as American Express, Colgate-Palmolive and DuPont.

“As META Group continues to transcend the traditional IT research market with our higher-value offerings, it is a perfect time to bring someone of Phil’s caliber to the organization to drive this message more aggressively into the marketplace,” said META Group CEO Fred Amoroso.

Asche will lead the company’s marketing organization, including directing its corporate brand development, channel development, and marketing communications.

Forbes.com has deployed Viewpoint’s rich graphics technology in the latest version of its annual “Best Cities for Singles” feature.

Forbes.com each year ranks America’s 40 largest metropolitan areas to find the best places for singles to live based on variables such as nightlife, culture, number of singles, cost of living and jobs. This year, Forbes.com took its rankings a step further by using Viewpoint’s technology to provide users with an interactive map that recalculates rankings by indicating how important each of the variables are.

“We chose a leading technology to increase the appeal of one of our most popular, exclusive lists,” said Paul Maidment, editor of Forbes.com. “Viewpoint’s technology made it possible for this content to become more visual, interactive, and relevant to each user.”

Ask Jeeves U.K. has made search marketing company TrafficLeader an approved reseller of its Index Express Paid Inclusion product. As a reseller, TrafficLeader is able to directly include, via XML data feeds, a business site’s complete catalog of products, brands, and services in Ask Jeeves’ search index.

“This paid inclusion program represents our company’s first foyer into the rapidly expanding international search industry,” said Jerry Wiant, president of TrafficLeader.

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