Mar 6, 2006 6:02 AM, PROMO Xtra, By Patricia Odell

Bob DeSena, the managing director of Mars Direct at Masterfoods, has departed and launched a new business, Engagement Marketing Group.

The new business will focus on developing new ways to measure consumer engagement across all forms of media. DeSena is managing director of the new group. A number of "senior-level managers" will be joining the group bringing expertise in brand, direct marketing, research, advertising and digital to help test and create new marketing models, DeSena said.

There was plenty to be made of the latest buzzword, "engagement," at the AAAA Media Conference & Trade Show this week. Last Wednesday, DeSena sat on a panel titled AAAA/ANA/ARF Engagement Initiative.

The initiative involves the three entities: AAAA, Association of National Advertisers and the Advertising Research Foundation, who together created the M14 Committee to define engagement and the best metrics for measuring engagement. DeSena is a key member of the committee, which plans to unveil its definition of engagement at an ARF meeting later this month in New York City, DeSena said.

At Masterfoods, DeSena was responsible for direct-to-consumer marketing for all of the company's U.S. brands.

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