BOSTON, MA -- (Marketwire) -- 12/04/12 -- SHIFT Communications, a marketing agency that lives at the intersection of traditional communications and social media, is proud to announce the addition of Christopher Penn as vice president of marketing technologies. Recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of the Top 50 Most Influential People in Social Media and Digital Marketing, Chris will work hand in hand with our account teams to offer our clients more holistic marketing services that deliver real, measureable value.

"SHIFT has always been an agency that's very forward-thinking and risk-taking," said Penn. "They were one of the first sponsors of the PodCamp conference that Chris Brogan and I co-founded, so when I looked for an agency to work with to build complete marketing expertise, SHIFT was the first and only place I went. I'm excited to help our clients find, understand and grow their media ROI by providing a deep understanding of how earned, owned and paid media can work together seamlessly for measurable bottom line results."

Chris brings a sophisticated approach to analytics and measurement, and will enable SHIFT to provide its clients with integrated marketing strategy, digital marketing, SEO & PR technology audits, email marketing campaigns, and digital communications strategy.

Chris is one of the early leaders in the social media marketing era. He has been recognized for his leadership in new media and marketing in numerous national publications, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, BusinessWeek, US News & World Report, and several major television networks.

Prior to joining SHIFT, Chris was the director of inbound marketing at WhatCounts, an email marketing company, as well as co-founder of the groundbreaking PodCamp New Media Community Conference. In addition to his duties at SHIFT, Chris will continue to co-host the "Marketing Over Coffee" podcast. He is also an adjunct professor of Internet Marketing and the lead subject matter expert and professor of Advanced Social Media at the University of San Francisco, as well as the author of "Marketing White Belt: Basics for the Digital Marketer."

"Chris will be a fantastic resource to his colleagues and clients as we dig deeper into the possibilities of social and digital marketing," said Todd Defren, CEO, SHIFT Communications. "He will be an integral part in driving our effort to redefine and reinvent the role and impact of public relations. We're thrilled and honored to have him on board."

ABOUT SHIFT COMMUNICATIONS
SHIFT Communications is an award-winning, privately-held national public relations firm that has represented some of the best-known enterprise and consumer technology brands, including AOL, Overstock.com, Logitech, Bing, Club Med, Akamai, Virgin Mobile, Canadian Club, Quantum, RealNetworks, Yelp, Johnson & Johnson and H&R Block. SHIFT pioneered the world's first Social Media News Release and Social Media Newsroom, changing PR forever. SHIFT Communications' 100 employees are located in the Boston, San Francisco and New York metros. For more information on SHIFT's high-tech public relations, consumer public relations and content marketing programs, visit http://www.shiftcomm.com/.

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