NicholsonNY to Include Research, Media Planning

Interactive agency NicholsonNY said it hired two marketing pros and is unveiling a new vision for online advertising to make research and media planning integral parts of the creative process.

President and CEO Tom Nicholson said the agency will also invest in development of proprietary tools for tracking and analyzing behavior of Web consumers, and plans to use those results to build more effective sites for target audiences.

NicholsonNY is a full-service interactive communications agency whose clients include IBM, Sony, NBC, Thomas Publishing, and Reader’s Digest.

Michael Wexler, whose work in Web measurement includes pioneering analyses of behavior and psychology, has been named director of research and measurement. Wexler had been manager of marketing analysis for the Strategic Interactive Group in Boston.

Kathleen Sheridan becomes NicholsonNY’s media director. She had been at Wunderman Cato Johnson, where her experience included directing interactive marketing and media planning efforts for clients including American Express, Apple Computer, AT&T, Novell, Sears, and Xerox.

Nicholson said Wexler and Sheridan will spearhead an expansion of the agency’s media buying and planning capabilities, and an integration of both services into the creative process.