RALEIGH, N.C. (June 17, 2009) - Rick French, chairman and CEO of French/West/Vaughan (FWV), one of the nation's largest independent public relations, public affairs and brand communications agencies, today announced that Chris Shigas has been named vice president, digital and social media. Shigas, who joined the agency in 2005, will provide expert counsel to FWV clients regarding social media initiatives, overseeing the department that FWV first created in 2006 to work closely with the agency's account teams to analyze and integrate social media platforms into client initiatives.
Shigas has extensive experience integrating major corporate campaigns through social media. During his tenure at FWV, he has spearheaded numerous social media initiatives, including work with Coca-Cola, Canada Post, WaterPartners International, and many others.
Shigas and his team recently won the Best in Category "Integrated Communication Award" from the Public Relations Society of America for a campaign that utilized a number of social media platforms, including Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr and Second Life. The award was given for a groundbreaking project with WaterPartners International to raise awareness about the global water crisis.
Additionally, Shigas led FWV to be one of the first public relations agencies to open a virtual office in the online community of Second Life (http://www.secondlife.com/). Second Life is a virtual experience where people from around the world communicate, explore, create, run businesses and more. In 2007, he developed the virtual retail city of Maple Grove with stores from ten national and international retailers. At the time, it was the largest collection of real-life retailers in the Second Life virtual world, featuring the likes of Sears, Toys "R" Us and many others.
About French/West/Vaughan
French/West/Vaughan (FWV) is the Southeast's largest independent public relations, public affairs and brand communications agency. FWV was named a 2006 finalist for PR Week magazine's "Midsize PR Agency of the Year" award, and was named the Holmes Report's 2004 National Consumer Agency of the Year. National and international clients represented by the agency include the Global Water Foundation, the Coca-Cola Company, Wrangler, the Justin Boot Company, Canada Post, the International Gemological Institute, Nehst Studios, OTB Records and Nfinity Shoes - the official shoe of cheerleading. Regional public relations clients include North Carolina State University, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and Tweetsie Railroad, among many others. The agency is headquartered in Raleigh and has offices in both New York City and Tampa. The agency's advertising arm, FWV Distilled, was established in 2007 and provides award-winning advertising, graphic design and media planning and placement services for a wide range of clients. For more information, please visit www.fwv-us.com.
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