• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, April 8, 2010

Seeking to accelerate its transition to a multiplatform media company, the Reader's Digest Association is appointing a "pure-play" digital executive to lead its Reader's Digest Community division. Lisa Sharples, the president of the company's Allrecipes.com Web site, will also serve as president of the Community division.

The appointment adds to Sharples' current responsibilities, which include overseeing readersdigest.com and Allrecipes.com. Previously, Sharples held leadership roles at Classmates.com and Garden.com, where she gained digital branding and e-commerce experience. She was a co-founder of Garden.com.

RDA boss Mary Berner stated that Sharples' appointment "reflects our continued commitment to the future of the Reader's Digest brand. We are fast becoming a content-creation company that engages customers globally through any channel they desire. We intend to accelerate this strategy by putting the Reader's Digest brand under Lisa's direction."

Sharples is replacing Eva Dillon, who took charge of the Reader's Digest Community division in March 2007; Dillon plans to leave RDA by the end of the year, but will oversee the division's publishing until that time. Alyce Alston, president of RDA's Emerging Businesses unit, is also leaving the company effective Friday.

Ad Kelly Finalists Announced

The Magazine Publishers of America has revealed the finalists for the 2010 Kelly Awards for magazine advertising. There are a total of 26 finalists vying for 12 awards for magazine ad campaigns that appeared in 2009, including a new "RR Donnelly Innovation" award for pioneering, creative new uses of magazines as an ad medium. (RR Donnelly is the exclusive sponsor of this year's 29th annual awards.)

The campaign with the best marketing ROI will be recognized with the Effectiveness Award. Awards will also be bestowed for Best Integrated Campaign, Best Public Service Campaign, Best Magazine Ads by Size, and Best Individual Execution, for single ads that did not appear as part of a larger campaign.

WE tv Partners With Harper's Bazaar for Wedding Sweepstakes

Call it a match made in media heaven: WE tv is joining forces with Harper's Bazaar for a sweepstakes called "Plan Your Perfect Wedding." The lucky grand prize winner will take home loot and services worth $30,000, which will include a personal consultation with a WE tv wedding consultant, a Michael M Collection diamond engagement ring and a wedding ring from Le Vian, also encrusted in diamonds.

Also in the prize: a Royale Wedding Package stay at Le Blanc Spa Resort in Cancun, Mexico, and a St. Pucchi wedding gown. Twenty first-prize winners will get Essie Wedding Collection gift sets. A special six-page WE tv wedding report is appearing in the April issue of Harper's Bazaar.

Elle Branding Queen Leaves For Conde Nast

Carol Smith, the senior vice president and chief brand officer for the Elle Group -- who dreamed up the TV and marketing partnership between Elle and "Project Runway" -- is leaving the Hachette Filipacchi title for Conde Nast, where she is taking up the role of publishing director for the high-end publisher's food group, per the New York Post.

The position includes responsibility for Bon Appetit and the various surviving assets of Gourmet, which closed its print edition last year, but still has branded content on TV and the Web as well as book publishing.