Avenue A, Inc., a digital marketing services and technology company, announced that it has launched a new corporate advisory board. GRAHAM PHILLIPS, former CEO of Ogilvy & Mather and ERVIN SHAMES, former CEO of General Foods USA will join Brian McAndrews and Dr. Jack Sansolo, Eddie Bauer's former Executive Vice President of Global Brand Direction on the advisory board. Phillips has almost 30 years of media experience. Shames has decades of consumer manufacturing experience, and now serves as a visiting lecturer at University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business, teaching second-year courses in Consumer Marketing and Advertising.

JOHN GAFFNEY was been named to the newly created post of Chief Operating Officer of Havas Advertising's Media Planning Group USA, the company announced this week. Formerly president of arnoldMPG, Boston, Gaffney will oversee all account service groups at MPG divisions. MPG USA has 11 offices and claims billings of $3.2 billion.

Longtime television sales and marketing executive AL COHEN has been named Vice President-General Sales Manager of Charter Media, a full-service company specializing in non-traditional media properties. Before joining Charter Media, a division of The Charter Group, Cohen was director of advertising sales and marketing for Associated Television, a westcoast-based television syndication company. Throughout his career he has held several senior positions in the television industry, including Sales Manager, TVRC Corp, an unwired network television company; Director of Sales Research, at then startup Fox Broadcasting Co.; and Director of Sports Marketing at the ABC Television Network, where he pioneered the concept …

TYLER BRULE stepped down today as editorial director of the Wallpaper* Group, publisher of design magazines Wallpaper* and Spruce, which are published in the U.K. by Time Inc.'s IPC Media. According to Lisa Granatstein, Brule will be succeeded on an interim basis by Christina Ferrari, former Teen People managing editor.

Harmonic Communications, a marketing and media optimization company, today announced that G. MICHAEL SIEVERT has joined its board of directors. In addition to Michael Sievert, current Harmonic board members are Mark Kvamme, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Harmonic, Marc Andreessen, Chairman of LoudCloud, and Rob Burgess, Chief Executive Officer of Macromedia.

IAN ROSS has been named senior director, eastern regional advertising sales for Disney Online, which is the No. 1 kids and community family online entertainment destination. Ross brings more than 20 years of sales experience to the Disney Online team. Most recently, he held several senior sales positions with the online properties of travel industry leader Sabre. There, he opened the East coast sales office for Preview Travel, the predecessor of Travelocity, and built the media sales unit for GetThere.com. In his new position, Ross will lead advertising and sponsorship sales efforts in New England, Mid-Atlantic and Southern U.S. regions …

Arnold Executive Vice President/Creative Director MATT SMITH has resigned effective July 1. He will be replaced by creative directors Bruce Gifford and Fred Burgos who transferred from Arnold in Boston last year. During his eight year tenure at the McLean, Va., shop, Smith worked on campaigns for BBC America, Choice Hotels International and The Washington Post. Smith will open his own shop in Washington, D.C.

The Interactive Marketing unit of AOL TIME WARNER'S AMERICA ONLINE on Monday eliminated 120 jobs in its Virginia and New York offices, according to an executive inside the company. The cuts represent about 17% of the unit's 700 staff members, and the majority are said to involve account services, administrative functions and planning. The downsizing comes as AOL undergoes sweeping changes in its top management and organization as a result of its poor financial performance in the wake of the AOL and Time Warner's merger last year.

AltaVista® Company, a global provider of search services and software and a majority-owned operating company of CMGI, Inc., has appointed FRED BULLOCK to the position of Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for its Internet division. Bullock will lead planning and execution of customer-focused marketing, product and branding strategies for AltaVista's Internet search business. Bullock brings 25 years of worldwide corporate, product and technology marketing experience to AltaVista, including 14 years with Apple Computer, Inc. At Apple he led international product marketing, market development and marketing programs teams that introduced revolutionary products and built new markets. He also managed …

JOHN M. O'HAUGHERTY, the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of LodgeNet Entertainment Corp., a specialized communications company, plans to retire on July 1. In a press release, the company said O'Haugherty agreed to be available for general consultation and special projects for a two-year period.