Walt Disney Internet Group Names David Placier Vice President of Customer Marketing and Analysis

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Sep 16, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- David Placier has been named vice president of customer marketing and analysis for the Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG). In this position, he leads all customer relationship management efforts at WDIG, including directing development of customer marketing strategy, guiding customer marketing planning and execution for the online businesses of The Walt Disney Company and working with WDIG's technology team in implementing technology solutions. He manages customer marketing and customer care teams in North Hollywood, Calif. and Seattle, Wash.

Placier joins WDIG from McKinsey & Co. where, among other business in the marketing practice, he managed a significant customer relationship marketing consulting project for WDIG.

"David has a deep background in marketing and direct marketing where it intersects with Internet technologies, and he has already made tremendous contributions to our business through his past work as a consultant," said Larry Shapiro, executive vice president, business development and operations, Walt Disney Internet Group. "With our Internet products well defined and attracting large audiences, this is a critical time for us to focus on online customer marketing."

Placier has nearly twenty years of on-line and off-line CRM, marketing and IT experience. Before his tenure at McKinsey & Co., he served as a consultant at Kestnbaum & Co., a database marketing firm and ran his own consulting practice, counseling financial services clients on marketing and IT strategy issues.

He earned a bachelor of arts degree in economics from the University of California, Berkeley and a master's of business administration from the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business.

About Walt Disney Internet Group

Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG) provides strategic leadership and operational management for The Walt Disney Company's Internet properties including category leaders Disney.com, ESPN.com, ABCNews.com and ABC.com. WDIG has led the way in developing new forms of interactive content, such as its Enhanced TV service which showcases the convergence of video and interactive programming, and is a market leader in developing and distributing entertainment and informational content to new platforms. Through relationships with some of the world's largest wireless carriers, WDIG distributes content and services to wireless users under the Disney, ESPN and ABC brands. Steve Wadsworth is president of WDIG, headquartered in North Hollywood, and has operations in Seattle, New York, Orlando, Fla., Tokyo and London.

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Source: CBS Market Watch