• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, June 15, 2010

Shiv Singh, the social media practice head at Razorfish, is leaving the agency to become director of digital marketing at PepsiCo North American Beverages, effective July 1.

Singh, who spent 11 years at Razorfish and last year authored "Social Media Marketing for Dummies," said he was drawn to work at Pepsi by the company's innovative efforts in emerging media. In particular, he cited the company's Refresh project on Facebook and elsewhere, Mountain Dew's Democracy campaign to crowd-sourcing new flavors, and the decision not to run a Super Bowl ad this year.

"Pepsi seems to be an organization that's really on the move," said Singh, who will report to Frank Cooper, chief consumer engagement officer at the beverage giant. "They recognize that the way brands are formed and the way they related to consumers has fundamentally changed thanks to digital, and they want to be one step ahead of that."

Singh said he will continue to live in Manhattan and commute to Pepsi's headquarters in Purchase, New York. In addition to Pepsi and Mountain Dew, the company's other North American beverage brands include Sierra Mist, Slice Tropicana and Ocean Spray.

Succeeding Singh as national social influence marketing lead at Razorfish is Andrea Harrison, who has worked in the agency's social marketing practice for the last five years. She previously worked at Keynote Systems and Fidelity Investments. Razorfish also recently hired Ryan Turner from interactive agency ZAAZ to lead its social practice in the West region.