• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, November 20, 2013

Edelman has appointed Chris Paul to become the PR firm’s global director of paid media, a new position at the shop. 

Paul, whose appointment is effective next month,  will be tasked with defining Edelman’s approach to paid media, aligning Edelman’s existing efforts, developing strategies for key accounts, incorporating paid into cross-platform communication efforts and expanding capabilities globally. 

Paul will report to Kevin King, global practice chair for Edelman Digital, and work closely with John Clinton, who oversees the firm’s paid media strategy and serves as CEO of Edelman Canada. 

Prior to joining Edelman, Paul was executive vice president, general manager for VivaKi’s Audience On Demand (AOD), where he oversaw strategy and operations for the AOD suite of solutions. He worked closely with the core teams inside VivaKi, including: Partnerships, Ventures, Product & Solutions, Finance, Legal and the Publicis Groupe agencies.   

“All forms of media are converging and we will need to continue leveraging paid to amplify our owned, earned and social efforts,” said King. “Chris is an innovator in the space and has proven he can adapt quickly to a rapidly changing media environment. We want to define a unique paid offer that can evolve with this new environment.” 

Prior to joining VivaKi, Paul led the media team for American Express at Digitas, where he provided strategic media innovation and buying expertise as well as optimization and analysis to help drive a more data-driven approach to media. 

PR firms have increasingly sought to help clients develop strategies in the digital marketing space. “The opportunity to join Edelman has come at the ideal time when you think about brands' and consumers' unprecedented connectivity, fueled by real-time digital communications,” said Paul. Edelman's role in developing brand communications for clients, “naturally supports the paid amplification of that content when it could be useful to a broader audience. Nearly all media channels, from digital out-of-home to TV, are now in play depending on the nature of the conversation."