Former IAB chief joins Direct Marketing Commission

The trade body said the appointment will its expertise in the regulation of online advertising, email, social media and emerging digital platforms.

Meadows-Klue was responsible for setting up the UK’s first online newspaper (www.telegraph.co.uk) in the mid 90s, before co-founding the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) in the UK, then Europe, and then in more than a dozen other countries.

He was the IAB’s inaugural CEO in the UK and Europe, as well as being re-elected as their President  four times.

As Vice President for NBC’s European internet businesses, he gained experience in global portals and social media.

As a VC advisor and digital strategist he helped stimulate and accelerate hundreds of firms. As a government advisor he helped steer policy initiatives in both the Home Office and the DTI to create the right framework for digital commerce.

As a member of the DMC Board of Commissioners, he joins the organisation responsible for enforcing industry self-regulation and protecting consumers and businesses from unethical direct marketing practice.

Of his appointment, Meadows-Klue said: “The web has revolutionised our lives, social networks are exploding and we’d all be lost without our mobiles. Now as marketers harness each of these new channels fully, consumers need the confidence that they’re in safe hands.

“It’s simply not acceptable for consumers to get a second-rate deal online, and while most companies now give their websites and email relationship marketing the attention it deserves, industry needs to be sending the strongest of signals to any firm that doesn’t. Digital has grown up.”

All disciplines of Direct Marketing practice – including direct mail, email, SMS, interactive television, mail order, telephone, catalogue and online – fall within the remit of the DMC.

Chairman of the DMC, Matti Alderson commented on the appointment: “Danny worked on the first self-regulatory codes in online advertising ten years ago, in 2001 he pushed the European Commission to u-turn their decision on cookies in marketing, in 2002 he confronted media owners to cut pop-ups and interruptive advertising formats because of the effect on consumers. He is not afraid to speak his mind, and his track record strikes the balance between protecting the consumer and creating a framework for companies to work effectively in digital channels. That makes him a uniquely experienced to provide additional insight to an already strong board.”

Danny’s roles in industry include involvement in numerous industry think tanks and government task forces to grow the market as well as directorships which have included other industry initiatives such as the Digital Content Forum and www.DigitalTrainingAcademy.com.

His Digital Strategy Consulting practice continues to help accelerate brands looking for a roadmap for getting digital right. Over the years his brands have won more than a dozen awards and he has been credited by the UK government as being one of the creators of the UK digital sector.

www.dmcommission.com