Viewpoints Press Release to Announce Advisory Board
Viewpoints.com Assembles Noteworthy Advisory Board
Team of Ten Internationally Renowned CEOs, Venture Capitalists
And Internet Pioneers will Provide Diverse Expertise
CHICAGO,IL - July 17, 2007- Viewpoints.com, a new ratings and reviews Web site that draws upon personal experiences of its user community to help consumers make smarter more informed purchase decisions, today announced its first board of advisors. The highly accomplished group of media and technology veterans, each an authority in his or her field, together cover the spectrum of technologies and disciplines essential to the Viewpoints.com concept.
Viewpoints.com’s advisory board is comprised of ten individuals:
· John Caplan, President/COO, Ford Models—has successfully built the international operations of this world-famous modeling agency. Caplan also served as president of About.com, the fifth most trafficked Web property, and helped lead the launch of the Arizona Iced Tea brand.
· Esther Dyson, Chairman, EDventure—one of the Internet’s most respected and farsighted figures, Dyson wrote about the impact of the Internet on intellectual property in 1994. She was the founding chairman of ICANN, the international Internet policy setting body, from 1998 to 2000. Dyson, a private investor in Internet startups, owned and ran EDventure Holdings, an industry publishing venture, for 20 years before selling it to CNET in 2004; in early 2007 she reclaimed the EDventure name and is once again using it for her independent business ventures.
· Mark Figliulo, Chief Creative Officer/Managing Partner, Y&R/Chicago—built the Chicago office of Y&R, one of the world’s largest marketing communications agencies, into a creative powerhouse ranked by Advertising Age as one of the top creative agencies in North America. Figliulo has worked for McDonalds, NASCAR, Orbitz, Sears and Miller Brewing, among other top advertisers;
· Gian Fulgoni, Chairman/Co-Founder, comScore Networks—before co-founding this pioneering online marketing research firm, Fulgoni was president and CEO of Information Resources, recognized in 1996 by Advertising Age as the largest U.S. market research company. Fulgoni has twice received the Illinois Entrepreneur of the Year award and has served on the boards of U.S. Robotics and Platinum Technology;
· Julius Genachowski, Co-Founder/Managing Director, Rock Creek Ventures—in addition to his duties at this digital media and commerce investment/advisory firm, Genachowski is special advisor to General Atlantic, a leading global private equity firm. Genachowski was a senior executive at IAC/InterActiveCorp for eight years, including Chief of Business Operation and a member of Barry Diller's Office of the Chairman. He has served on the boards of directors of Expedia, Hotels.com and Ticketmaster, and is now on the boards of The Motley Fool and WebsitePros. Business Week listed him as one of 25 "Managers to Watch" in the media industry;
· Sean Greene, Co-Founder Rock Creek Ventures—an experienced entrepreneur, Greene was the founder and CEO of the Away Network (Away.com, Gorp.com, OutsideOnline.com), the Web’s largest specialty travel publisher, which he founded and ran prior to selling the company to Orbitz. Greene currently serves as an advisor to a wide range of early-stage interactive companies, and previously worked as a consultant with McKinsey and Co.;
· Rich LeFurgy, Principal, Archer Advisors—as a leader in the interactive advertising field, LeFurgy advises clients on interactive advertising sales as well as overall advertising and marketing strategy. Current and past clients include America Online, Glam.com, Google, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (which he co-founded), Real Networks and Space.com, among others;
· David Scacco, Director of Vertical Markets Group, Google—hired as Google’s first advertising sales executive, Scacco has built Google’s Vertical Markets Group which provides marketers with industry-specific expertise across 12 macro categories. Scacco was also a former director of business development at Ziff-Davis;
· Matt Spiegel, Managing Director, Resolution Media—a search industry leader, Spiegel founded Resolution Media, one of the world’s top search engine marketing consultancies. Spiegel has also served as a senior executive at other top Internet marketing firms including Mosaic Data Solutions and L90, and is currently president of the Chicago Interactive Marketing Association;
· Rishad Tobaccowala, CEO, Denuo Group—in addition to his current roles as chief executive of Denuo Group and chief innovation officer at Publicis Groupe Media, Tobaccowala was the founder/president of SMG Next, the first futures practice in the media industry. Business Week named Tobaccowala one of the top business leaders in 2005, while TIME magazine once dubbed him one of five “Marketing Innovators”.
“Viewpoints.com is indeed fortunate to have assembled such a diverse and skilled group of individuals for its new advisory board. We expect to benefit greatly from this body on subjects ranging from branding and community building to interactive advertising and performance measurement,” said Matt Moog, founder and CEO of Viewpoints.com. “Our new board of advisors will provide both the outside perspective and the world-class knowledge that will help us reach our goal of being the number one online destination for reviews and the people who enjoy sharing them.”
“The thing that excites me about Viewpoints is its unique ability to let me easily filter feedback based on the profiles of the reviewers,” stated Scacco. “The point of view of the reviewer is a critical piece of the equation—and one that is missing from all competing sites.”
“I jumped at the chance to join Viewpoint.com’s advisory board not just because I like the team and the plan, but also because I think we will face interesting challenges as we grow,” added Dyson. “Initially, we will simply be a platform for people to share their viewpoints, but over time, as we scale, we will have to help the system self-organize, as our members gain reputations and as the depth of information becomes ever greater. Users will be able to find opinions from people like themselves…or, if they prefer to be adventurous, from people with other points of view.”
“Viewpoints is well-positioned to be at the forefront of the next generation of review sites,” noted Greene. “Matt and his team blend a well-thought-out strategy with excellent execution.”
About Viewpoints.com:
Founded in 2007, Viewpoints. a new web site that taps into the basic need people have to share their personal experiences about products and services they have used. The site allows people to post reviews across the most comprehensive range of categories of any reviews site, from movies to restaurants, education to health care, travel and hundreds of other categories in between. Viewpoints.com taps into the need for people to share their personal experiences, to voice their opinions, to show others the way, and to share insight gained from personal experience. Best of all, Viewpoints provides deep profile of every reviewer, enabling readers to not only find others with similar interests, but also rate the quality of the reviews and reviewers . Viewpoints.com, a privately-held company, is headquartered in Chicago.
Viewpoints. Let’s Review.
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