Former IAB Board Chairman & Condé Nast Executive to Advance Trade Group’s ‘Direct Brand’ Economy Initiative

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has appointed media and marketing veteran Jim Norton as the trade group’s latest Executive-in-Residence. A publishing world thought leader and former Chairman of the IAB Board of Directors, Jim Norton will leverage his extensive experience with premium content brands to forward the trade association’s “Direct Brand” economy initiative. He will work with IAB leadership to educate members and incumbent brands on how to rethink strategy to thrive in the “Direct Brand” economy. He will also play a key role in shaping the agenda for the IAB Direct Brand Summit, scheduled for October 30 and 31 in New York City.

“Jim can offer us the inside track on premium publishing to support members in navigating the new ‘Direct Brand’ landscape”

Most recently, Norton served as Chief Business Officer, President of Revenue at Condé Nast, where he reorganized and led the transformation of the business to a more modern media model, leveraging the power and influence of Condé Nast’s world-class premium brands. In addition to launching teams focused on agency holding companies, data and analytics, and the launch of 23 Stories Branded Experiences studio, he also led revenue diversification efforts in direct-to-consumer subscriptions, events, licensing, and eCommerce.

Prior to Condé Nast, he was Global Head of Media Sales at AOL/Verizon. Earlier in his career, he was a national sales manager on Google’s Agency Team. Norton is currently an investor and advisor to the media and technology industry.

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“Jim can offer us the inside track on premium publishing to support members in navigating the new ‘Direct Brand’ landscape,” said Randall Rothenberg, CEO, IAB.

Randall added, “His expertise in working with iconic content brands, such as Vogue, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Wired, and HuffPost, alongside his longstanding commitment to the IAB, will make him a vital resource as we ramp up our ‘Direct Brand’ economy initiative.”

“I’m thrilled to be partnering with the IAB team to help media, marketing, and technology constituents understand and take advantage of the emerging ‘Direct Brand’ economy,” said Norton. “The engine driving ‘Direct Brands’ and the new on-demand movement has been premium content and storytelling, as well as the smart use of data and technology to acquire long term value customers. I am looking forward to leveraging my long experience across the marketing barbell to assist brands in reaching new consumers in this exploding environment.”

Norton is the third industry innovator to be invited to take part in the IAB In-Residence program. Peter Naylor, currently Senior Vice President, Advertising Sales, Hulu, and Chairman IAB Digital Video Center of Excellence Board, was the first to serve in this senior advisory role in November 2013. John Frelinghuysen, digital video marketing leader and former Executive Vice President for Digital Media at Disney/ABC Television, was the second to do so in August 2017.

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